Sieg's Infection
by Cakedecorator
Summary: *Sieg Lieben's Route* This is the story of the MC and Sieg… in the POV of the prince himself! We'll see the journey of the pair in this lovesick prince's eyes to get his side of the story. He falls for Carly, the MC, at first sight, and he has no intentio


**I'm sure for you who have played Sieg Lieben's route or have seen it on youtube before it was taken down, you know that Sieg falls for the MC (or in this case, yours truly) at first sight. Let's face it, it can be real, can't it? It happens when we find a bond with a pet, doesn't it? We'll see things from his point of view… Now, I've added twists the dialogue, but overall, the dialogue, the characters, anything belonging to Voltage Inc. IS NOT MINE, okay?  
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><p>I was looking out the window in the limousine I was riding in. Just another dull party I'm being asked to attend. Lately, the parties I've been going to or have been skipping out on have been such a drag… It's like the atmosphere isn't quite right for them anymore. And it's all because of that man Ul...<p>

Oh, wait… Let me back up. My name is Sieg. Sieg Lieben, first Prince (and only child) of the Lieben Royal family in DresVan Kingdom. That's right, I'm a royal… Albeit nowadays I feel like my title is all others see when they talk to me. It's like I'm just somebody that no one sees for anything more than their birthright. In my case, it's just being the heir to a very important political position and tons of cash. I think the cash bit is what brings girls to me… But it gets so annoying.

Anyway, back on topic: I had gotten wind about a political upset in DresVan and was about to head back, when the current king, my father, called me in and said it was being handled. Because of some recent changes in the political power holders, I've sort of been… How do I put it? Trashed? So, I've been sent to attend a party at Nobel Michel Castle. It's nothing new for me, but it's getting a bit stale.

"Sieg, there's a woman outside trying to flag us down; she looks desperate…" My butler, Hans, said to me.

"Whatever…" I say.

"Sieg… I know you're in a bad mood because of what just happened, but you can't ignore a girl in need. You need to act like a gentleman." Hans says to me again.

"Ugh, fine… Stop the limo…" I mutter.

The car screeches to a halt, and I roll down the window; I poke out my head, and… I'm hit by Cupid.

I see a beautiful girl around my age covered in flour, wearing a pastry chef uniform, and standing next to a car that had large sacks of flour on the back of it. It seemed to have broken down. But… I forget about the car and just look at this cutie pie as if nothing else existed.

_'Ooh, la la… Who is she? I need to get to know her!' _I think, as I keep looking at this beauty in front of me.

"…Is something the matter?" I ask, trying to put on my best smile; maybe I can charm her. I am a royal, after all, so maybe I can win her over this way… but wait, what am I thinking?!

"Um, we're supposed to deliver some flour to the palace, but our car broke down…" This beautiful woman says.

"You're delivering flour to the palace?" I ask; what a coincidence!

This is my chance to make my move… I know it's probably not something I should be doing, but I feel my heart accelerating and my face heating up; she's just too cute.

"Oh my god, thank you so much! You're a life-saver!" She tells me, as she seems so relieved.

"It was my pleasure. We should all help each other out when we can, right?" I tell her.

"I'm sorry for keeping you…" She says to me, obviously a little upset if I was held back because of this; she seems so earnest and so sweet.

"Don't worry about it. I was headed this direction anyways." I say to her, feeling so lucky; I flash her a smile.

I take a look at her face and then I stifle a laugh; I can't help it. She had flour on her face. At the same time, I feel my face heat up and turn red, but I hope she doesn't notice.

"I'm sorry… It's just that you looked so serious. I couldn't help it," I tell her. "Hehe…"

"D-did I really look that weird?" She asked me. So adorable...

"It wasn't weird or anything. I've just never seen someone make that face before," I say to her. "Please forgive me. I don't have the opportunity to meet many ordinary people."

"Uh, sure…" She says.

It doesn't look like she knows who I am. That's refreshing...

* * *

><p>After we get to the castle, I drop her off, but then she calls out to me.<p>

"Um… What might your name be?" She asks me.

Well, looks like she _doesn't _know who I am… But I guess I really shouldn't tell her.

"I'm not someone whose name is worth knowing." I tell her, before walking into the palace to change my clothes and get into the party.

I probably won't see her again, but I have my ways of getting what I want. But then again, I don't know her name either, so that might be a bit hard...

"Hey, guys…" I say, as I leave the dressing room and go into the banquet hall.

My childhood buddies, Prince Kuon J. Casiraghi of Oriens Kingdom, Prince Hayden A. Spencer of Philip Kingdom, and Oliver Button of Altaria Kingdom, were already there.

"Sieg, what took you so long? It's not like you to be late." Hayden asks me.

"Sorry…" I say, with a sigh. "I was planning on rushing back home to DresVan to settle some political upset, but then my father called me and told me to comet to his party instead. That, and I had to pick up this… beautiful… girl who was delivering flour here to the palace."

"That's not like you to say a girl is beautiful." Oliver says to me; he smiled, as always.

Crap, they noticed me say 'beautiful'. I blush in response, and I just go off into my own world while saying, "I don't even know her name… And yet… I feel like I've just been kissed by an angel just by looking at her."

I sigh before smiling, feeling my cheeks heat up again.

"Sieg…" Kuon said to me, as I turn in his direction. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about a girl in a pastry chef uniform that was bringing flour to the kitchen? I think I might have met her earlier. Brown hair and brown eyes?"

"Yes! That's her! Kuon, did you get her name?!" I ask, breaking character.

"This is completely out of character for you, isn't it?" Hayden tells me.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

The others just look at one another before smiling a bit, and then Hayden turns back to me, before saying, "I ate some of her cake; it was amazing."

"Hayden, did you get her name?" I ask.

"Yes, her name is Carly." Hayden tells me.

Carly… such a sweet name.

* * *

><p>After what seemed to be hours, I was ready for the party; I walked into the banquet hall, which went dark, and then the spotlights lit the stage up like a Christmas tree…<p>

"Ladies and gentleman, please allow me to introduce our princes!" The MC said into the microphone.

I get on stage, along with the other princes here at this party.

"And now that Prince Sieg has safely arrived, we can move on to tonight's main event." The MC said, into the microphone.

I soon lock eyes with Carly, as soon as I see her in the crowd; in spite of wearing her pastry chef uniform, which, frankly, made her look adorable. I smile at her from up on stage, making sure she knew that I remembered her.

"Before too long, we, along with two new princes, will hold the Nobel Expo. In the spirit of international cooperation and cultural understanding, we have put together this exhibition for the enjoyment of our peoples. We hope that you will enjoy attending as much as we have enjoyed preparing this event, and we sincerely look forward to seeing you all there." Hayden says, taking the stage.

That's Hayden for you… Ready to put on his mask when he needs to, takes it off when he can.

"Now for a special surprise… Ladies and gentleman, the bouquet toss!" The host said.

Here we go...

I take out my bouquet of flowers, and I feel like something was going to happen, but in the best way.

"The lucky lady who catches the bouquet… will have the pleasure of getting to dance with whichever prince threw it!" The host began again.

Everyone woman in the hall began mobbing the stage as soon as they heard this, and I felt like breaking routine.

"Prince Sieg, over here!" One woman shouted from the audience; I ignored her.

I soon see Carly try to make her way out of the banquet hall; that's a first.

"All right, Your Highnesses! Whenever you're ready!" The host began.

Oh, I'm ready all right. I make my move. I aim my bouquet of flowers at her and throw it right at her. Hundreds of women try and go after it, with Carly not seeing what was happening.

However, I got my wish: the bouquet hit the target! Literally… It landed on her head, and I shudder at the thought of how that must have hurt.

After a few minutes, I see my beauty walk back into the hall and she was walking a little awkwardly. Probably not used to heels, I guess.

"Is that the same girl as before?" "Wow, that prince really has good taste!"

She seems nervous; time for me to turn on the charm.

"You're the one who caught the bouquet, right?" I ask her, and she turns to me; she's stunning. "Here, take my hand."

I hold out my hand, and I give her a warm smile, trying to really impress her. She hesitates, and I tell her, "Follow my lead."

I soon lead her into my dance, and my heart just kept beating as soon as I kept looking at her.

"Um, thank you for giving me a ride earlier," She tells me. "I had no idea you were a prince, so if I did anything rude, I…"

Carly trails off; so cute. I smile and then I lean in to whisper into her ear, "And why should I announce myself to some stranger?"

"Huh?" She says.

"Especially a stranger who makes princes haul flour. I hope you're ready to have the consequences of your actions." I tell her.

"C-consequences?!" Carly says, freaked out.

That was adorable! She doesn't seem to know what I was talking about.

"I only did it because my steward ordered me to 'act like a gentleman.' Otherwise, there's no way I would've stopped to help some regular person. Do you really think I'd let some flour-covered girl ride in my nice car?" I say, but I'm thinking, _'Idiot! What are you saying?! Don't be a donkey!'_

Carly makes a bit of a sour face, and she looked down a bit; she's probably mulling over what I'm saying.

"What? does that make you unhappy?" I ask her; I wonder if it did or not.

"N-no, not at all…" She says to me.

"It's not easy being a prince," I say; why did I open up so easily? "We have to put up with a lot of stuff regular people have no clue about."

She doesn't seem to say a word at this, but she seems like she's listening.

"Who does that woman think she is?! She's just a servant! Just because Prince Sieg chose her doesn't give her the right to dance with him!" Some of the other women in the hall say.

Case in point.

I hear a rip, and then Carly squeaks a bit; I see her stepped on another woman's hem and she started to trip a bit. I catch her and scoop her up to carry her bridal-style. Wow… I never thought this could happen… I feel like I'm in heaven just in this position with this adorable girl.

"Careful." I say to her.

"Oh…" She says, blushing.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, trying to put on a kind smile.

"Y-yeah…" She says back.

"You didn't twist your ankle or anything?" I ask her.

"N-no, I'm fine…" She says to me, a bit embarrassed.

I notice that a lot of the other women are giving her grief just by giving her nasty looks; time to get her out of there.

"We should still take a look at it." I say to her.

"Huh?!" She says, quite surprised.

I walk towards the doorway, but I hear complaints from other girls in the background; I whisper to my little beauty, "Nothing's scarier than a jealous woman. But, I guess they don't get many chances to be jealous of a regular girl. It'll be a good lesson in humility."

She seems to make a disgusted face at me… Oh, boy, did I mess up...

I bring her out to one of the castle cars, and Zain III is there, ready to go. I help put her into the car's backseat, and tell Zain, "Zain, take her home."

"Oof!" She says.

"…Of course, Your Highness." Zain says.

I notice this beautiful girl is looking at me with disgust, and I ask her, "Why're you looking at me like that?"

Carly fails to answer, and she merely glares at me.

"You should be thankful you got to experience what it's like to be a member of high society." I tell her.

Again, I'm being an idiot here! What am I saying to her?!

"Besides, don't you feel lucky getting to ride in such a nice car?" I ask her, trying to get some kind of response.

"…Can I ask you something?" She asks me; finally, an answer...

"What?" I ask.

"Did you actually pick me up and carry me out of there… because you were in a hurry to stop dancing with me?" She asks me.

That was unexpected… Now, how to answer...

"So what if I did?" I say. MORON! What am I saying?!

"…No reason. I was just wondering." She says to me.

I seem lost for words at that point, and I give her one last glance before going inside.

"Ugh, what a failure that ended up becoming!" I grumble to myself, rapping myself on the head and losing my senses.

"You okay, Sieg?" Kuon asked.

"No… I must have made a bad impression on her…" I say.

I feel like things have just gotten _worse_ for me; first being tossed aside by my father and now falling in love at first sight without even making a good impression. Can things get _any worse?!_

"Sieg. You know what the bouquet toss tradition entails, right?" Hayden tells me.

I get what he was saying. Tossing the bouquet was not just a way to get a girl to dance, it was to pick a potential bride. Which meant I can see her again!

* * *

><p>Later in my office at the castle, I daydream about Carly as I do some of my work; I think hearts are fluttering above my head already.<p>

I scribble things down on my paperwork, being careful not to let my mind wander. After finishing about two or three more pages of work, I blink a bit before going back to work. I rub my eyes, but all I can see is Carly.

Once I finished up more of my work, I put my pen down and I sigh dreamily; my mind kept wandering to Carly and I just wondered what else she could say to me the next time we meet.

"Sieg? Your Highness?" Hans, my butler says, bringing me back down to earth.

"Oh, Hans…" I say, before rubbing my head a bit.

"Ever since we picked up Miss Carly back there, you've been in a bit of a daze. Is everything okay?" Hans asks me.

"I… I think I'm in love." I say, with a dreamy smile, a sigh, and I prop my head up on my hands.

"That explains this…" Hans says, as he takes up an animated heart from out of thin air. Must have been one of mine. "Since you chose her with the bouquet toss and since it is protocol, you're going to have the marriage interview with her, correct?"

I nod in response, and I feel so smitten.

"This might be the chance to know how what makes her tick," I say to Hans. "I… I _will_ make her mine."

I sigh dreamily once again and get back to work; I feel like everything was falling into place, and I can just imagine her sweet voice right now. Oh, Carly… I have to get to know her more...

So honest, so earnest… I just can't let her know until I know it's the right time.

* * *

><p>The following night, I'm dressed in one of my finer suits; not my military jacket, but still pretty formal. I was sitting at a table for two at a restaurant near Nobel Michel that is often visited by the DresVan royal family. I felt a little nervous. After all… I'm a man in love.<p>

"Sieg, Miss Carly is here." I hear Hans say, from outside the room.

"Yeah, come in." I say, as I straighten myself out and get ready to get to know Carly; I start drinking some wine, trying to calm myself.

Carly stepped into the room; I slowly look towards her, and I feel my heart skip a beat when I see her. She's beautiful...

"Oh…" Carly says, as she kept looking at me. Score one! I think my demeanor is starting to impress her.

My mouth is slightly open, and I'm staring back at her, feeling like I'm looking at an angel.

"Sieg…?" She says; she used my first name! Wow…

I put my foot in my mouth and I screw up, saying, "Well… I guess anyone can look good with the right clothes."

"Excuse me?" Carly asked, crossing her arms, and cocking an eyebrow.

I smile and say, "It's impossible to look dull when I hand-picked a dress that would flatter even the likes of you."

DOLT! I'm such a dolt! What was I thinking, saying something as mean as that?! Ugh!

"Wha?!" She says, clearly flabbergasted.

"Don't just stand there, sit down. How long are you gonna keep me waiting?" I ask her.

Hans pulls out a chair, but Carly merely drops herself into the seat after stomping over here. I guess I ticked her off...

"You're as assertive as ever. Are most of the common girls like this?" I ask, trying to smile and impress her, but I think I'm failing.

As soon as the food is brought out, she looks at it, her eyes lit up. She ate some of the dish, and she said, "Mm, this sauce is delicious!"

I soon see a smile and her, and it's so beautiful. She seems to really like the food, but hopefully she likes me as well… She keeps eating, and Carly looks like she's enjoying herself.

Manners-wise, she's not doing too well, but considering her background, that's to be expected.

"You look happy." I say, after laughing a bit.

"Yes, the food looks great and it tastes amazing too!" Carly says, smiling.

"Well, of course. This is a restaurant for the royal household." I tell her; she's going to love this, I know it.

"Yeah." Carly said, as if she understood that the food around here has to be at high standards.

"Your sort don't really get the chance to eat this kind of food. So make the most of it." I tell her.

"I will…" Carly says, but I can see her eyebrow twitching. She keeps enjoying the meal and I think she's paying more attention to the food than to me...

A bone-in meat dish is served, and I start in on it; Carly joust looks perplexed at the sight of it. She glances at me, and I chuckle a bit.

"Pfft!" I chuckle, before putting my hand on my mouth.

"Huh?" She says, looking at me with annoyance in her face.

"Your face… You're like a squirrel scavenging for nuts." I say to her.

"S-Squirrel?!" She says, clearly not happy about this comment.

I turn away, my shoulders shaking; this is hilarious, and I feel myself going red in the face again.

"Sieg, shall I get you some water?" Hans asks me.

"Y-Yeah… Please." I say, as I try to calm down.

I clear my throat and drink the water; I pickup my silver wear, spear the meat with the fork, and then cut along close to the bone.

"After you've cut it off the bone like this, dice it into bite-sized pieces." I tell her, trying to help her out.

"I see…" She says, as she does what I do, albeit she looks a little constricted; her face is red as a tomato.

"Try as you may, your manners pale compared to mine," I say. "Bumpkins will always eat like bumpkins."

She doesn't look like she liked that, and her face fell sadly.

Later, after our meal, Carly left the room, but she seemed… Relieved?

"Hey," I say, catching her attention; she turned to me. "Hans will drive you. That okay?"

"Thank you," She says, albeit indifferently. "Well, I'll be going now. Goodbye, Sieg."

She raises her head; Carly is about o leave, when I find myself putting a hand on her shoulder, and I say, "Wait."

What am I doing?! They say love is irrational, but…

"What is it?" Carly asks me.

I bite my tongue inside my mouth; crap, what do I say? 'Carly, I love you'? That's stupid!

"Nothing…" I say, covering up my mistake. Crap, that was too close. "It's nothing… Go home."

"Wha?!" Carly says, clearly confused. "No need to tell me twice. I was going anyway…"

I didn't expect that out of her. She lifts the hem of her dress and she goes towards Hans. I sigh in annoyance to myself as I felt like an idiot for what I said.

A little while later, Hans came back after dropping her off at her house.

"So…" I asked, prompting him to tell me if she enjoyed herself.

"She enjoyed the food… But that was all I got out of her," Hans said to me. "She… Miss Carly seemed to think that you… Enjoyed making fun of her."

Damn! I can't believe I messed up again…

"I… I have to see her again…" I mutter to myself. "Hans, her workplace? She's a pastry chef, so…?"

"Patissiere Brown, Sieg," Hans said. "What do you have in mind?"

"Send her a large amount of flour from our kitchens," I tell Hans. "And request a large order of her cakes. I want her to be the one to deliver them to us."

Hans merely looks at me like I'm nuts, but I soon give him an authoritative look to make him sure that I was serious.

* * *

><p>The next day at 3 PM, which was my usual break, Hans comes in, with Carly in tow, carrying one of her cakes.<p>

"Sieg… Huh?" Carly says, and I look towards her; I have loads of paperwork to do, so I needed a break.

"You're late. Are you incapable of responding to an order promptly?" I ask; I was expecting her earlier than 3 PM...

She looks at Hans in surprise; guess she was unaware of my reasons.

"This wasn't an order for a party?" She asks.

Was that what Hans told her?

"What? Is that what you told her, Hans?" I ask him.

"N-No, I…" Hans said, a bit flustered; I guess he hates having to lie.

"My break is exactly at three. Now, thanks to you, I'm late," I state, looking at my watch. "Hurry up and bring me that cake."

"Your break's at three… so does that mean that this order was for your personal afternoon snack?" Carly asks me.

"Don't be so stupid. I'm not a child who needs his afternoon snack," I say, putting my foot in my mouth… again. "It's simply a requirement so I can perform my duties without a hitch."

"Wha…" Carly says, her eyes bugging out; I stare at her, as she looks adorable with that face on. "So you're going to be the only one eating the cakes from this order?"

I smirk and I tell her, "Don't just stand there like an idiot. Hurry up and serve it."

"Fine." She states, clearly ticked.

She cuts up the cake and serves it. I take a bite, and it's just so good...

"This is definitely your own work." I tell her.

"Yes…" Carly says.

I look to Hans and I say, "Hans, get her a chair."

"Of course." Hans says, going to get a chair for her.

"Oh no, don't bother. I'm going back now anyway." Carly says, waving her hand in dismissal.

Not if I had anything to say about it!

"Who gave you permission to leave. You'll sit here and eat with me." I tell her. Since I'm a prince, she can't refuse.

"Huh?" She says.

She ends up sitting down and eating with me. There's something about this cake that tastes so good.

"This sponge cake…" I begin.

"You don't like it?" Carly asks me.

"I do… It's moist and delicious. Is there anything special in it?" I ask her, trying to make conversation.

"Um… I added honey. It rounds out the flavor and makes it easy to rise." Carly says.

She knows her stuff.

"I see. That's a good idea." I tell her.

"Good observation. Do you like cooking?" She asks me.

One of my specialties.

"Anyone would notice that. Although, yes, I'm rather skilled in cooking. Next time, I'll make something for you." I tell her; there _will_ be a next time.

"T-That's okay. You don't need to." Carly says, getting flustered.

"If you refuse, it'll make me want to force-feed you." I say, joking with her.

"So this order was for your personal snack… I mean, an important part of your break, but what about the rest of the cakes?" Carly asks me. "There's still a lot in the kitchens."

"I don't really have any plans for them." I tell her.

"What do you mean?" Carly asks me, getting little amped up.

"I thought if I was gonna order then I should order a lot, so I did," I tell her. "Shouldn't a humble cake store be grateful for that?"

"You…" Carly says, her eyes wide in shock.

"Why the face?" I ask her; I thought she'd love this opportunity. "I thought it'd be an honor?"

"Not at all!" Carly snaps. That was out of nowhere...

"What do you mean?" I ask Carly; she's clearly not happy about this, but the reason, I don't know...

"Even when I'm in a rush, I make each individual cake with love. I want to make the people who'll eat them happy! And yet you just… your aim was just to have us make a bunch for no reason! The staff worked their hardest to get everything together, and yet it was all a waste!" Carly snaps, lecturing me.

Never heard anyone other than my father talk to me like that before...

"I'm paying a pretty penny. Petty complaints are unbecoming." I tell her, trying to get her to relax.

"Money's not the issue here!" She shouts; she gets up from her chair, and I'm a little surprise. I didn't expect this reaction.

"Do you think your position allow you to walk all over people!?" She asks me; I was about to answer when she takes my plate away.

"H-Hey!" I start, trying to get the cake back.

"You don't have the right to eat this cake!" Carly tells me; I'm shocked.

"…" I'm rendered speechless. This is the first time I've been spoken to by a woman...

"Miss Carly…?!" Hans asks.

Carly leaves the room, taking my plate with her; she slams the door, and I clearly screwed up… again.

"Sieg, I will find her and give her an appropriate…" Hans begins, but I put my hand up with a 'stop' gesture.

"No, Hans… She's right," I say. "All I wanted was to get to know her and win her over, but my idea just backfired… She's just so different from other girls..."

I sigh romantically, and I feel like there's still a chance to get to know her. I feel so lost...

"You're one smitten kitten for Miss Carly, Sieg." Hans tells me.

"_Please_ don't talk about cats," I state. "Anyway, you're right. I'm quite smitten with her… Do you think you can find her address?"

"Leave it to me." Hans said, before leaving the room.

I know I'm going to extremes, but love knows no bounds, right? Besides, I meant what I said when I told her I'd make something for her. As soon as I find where she lives, I'm going to make sure that I make up for what I said today.

Each day, I asked for a progress report on finding Carly from Hans, but he either shook his head or said, 'I'm still working on it'. It's not that I don't trust Hans; in fact, he and I know each other really well. The issue is that I'm getting a little impatient.

Every night since I brought Carly here, I dreamt of her; she and I dancing together like the first night I met her, and every time, after the music stopped, I would make my move to try to kiss her, but the dream would always cut off there! It gets annoying when that happens...

The next day, I was going to pay a visit to the concert hall and I was in my better suit. Not the formal uniform, with the military jacket and such, but it was just a normal shut and tie. I felt a little depressed because Hans still hadn't found Carly.

"Sieg," Hans said, coming into the room. "Good news: I found Miss Carly's address."

"That's great!" I say, with a smile. "So, we'll bring her with us to the concert."

"Are you sure?" Hans asks me. "Showing up to her apartment unannounced might be more or less of a surprise for her."

"I can't let her get away…" I say.

Now, I don't mean like I can't let her get away in the sense she did something wrong, but I mean it in the sense that I can't let her escape from me or have her falling in love with another man.

"I'll prepare the car… There's still time." Hans said, before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>The limousine soon makes it to an apartment building; I think I've heard of these places before from my grandfather. This was the type of house where his Queen, my grandmother, lived when they first met.<p>

Anyway, Hans told me the room number where Carly was in, and I soon find her house. It was just this door that separated me from my love. I soon ring the doorbell and then I lean on the threshold of the entryway to try to look cool and impress her.

"Coming! Who is it…?" I hear her voice, and then she opens the door. "Huh?!"

I see what she's wearing, and it seems a little shabby to me; however, she makes it look cute. I can't help myself and then I just start running my mouth again.

"What's with those clothes? Is that what people wear at home?" I ask.

Carly seems lost for words at seeing me again; maybe she's so happy that she's stunned silent. That would be nice...

"This entryway's as small as a dog's kennel." I state, trying to get her to talk to me.

Again, Carly doesn't answer me, so I ask her, "Hey, what's with the silence?"

"Um, uh… Well, last time I…" Carly begins.

I smile.

"Oh, yeah! You mean when you lectured me? There's no way I can let a woman who stands up to me get away." I tell her. "I came here to visit you. Hurry up and let me in."

She doesn't seem too keen on letting me in, so I gently push myself inside her house. It didn't look like she was too happy with that.

"Wait a minute!" Carly says, upset. "How do you know where I live?!"

"It's not hard to find out," I say, with a smirk. As I look around, I see what kind of conditions she lives in. Pretty good, albeit a bit small. "Do you really sleep, eat, and do everything in this tiny place? I didn't think it was possible, but now I've seen it with my own eyes… So this is how the people live."

"Look here, Sieg! If you've just come here to make fun of me, _get out_." Carly indignantly says, pointing at the door.

"More importantly, don't you have any better clothes?" I ask her, changing the subject.

"Huh? T-These are just what I wear at home!" Carly says to me. She's flustered.

"Then change into something else. We're going out." I tell her.

"Wha?!" Carly says, clearly confused.

After she changes into something nicer, I bring her to the concert hall; she and I ride in the back, but she refuses to make eye contact with me.

As soon as we get there, I'm soon greeted by the manager, with Carly and Hans behind me.

"Wow! It's Prince Sieg!" "Ohmigosh, so handsome…"

I put on my usual mask and I give a benevolent smile. I hope Carly's watching. I respond in the manner I was raised with for public affairs.

"Sieg, we've been expecting you. It's a great honor to have you here today." The manager says.

"It's my pleasure. I heard that this orchestra has been performing excellently lately." I tell him.

"Would you say a few words to the musicians? It would mean the world to them." The manager asks me.

Yeah… It will mean the world to them because they got to meet 'Prince Sieg'… The fact that my title is all I'm worth is very annoying. But I swallow my true feelings.

"Yes, of course." I reply. I subtly glance to Carly, only to see her looking at me with a reproachful face.

This wasn't what I was expecting.

After I get backstage and I get to the piano, the curtains part; a buzz runs through the hall and I look around to make sure Carly was watching. She was watching, which was just what I wanted.

I sit down before the piano as silence runs through the hall. I start playing the music, and I sneak a glance at Carly and I see that she was watching.

Once I finished, I go to the VIP seating and I see Carly there. I want her next to me.

"Hey, sit next to me." I tell her, as the orchestra begins playing. Bodyguards surround us...

"Is it okay for me to be next to you?" Carly asks me.

"There's no problem with my attendant sitting next to me, is there?" I ask her. "Just follow my orders."

She sits next to me, but she looks angry.

"That was an amazing performance." Carly says.

"You know a lot about music?" I ask her.

"Not really… but it was very moving," Carly says to me. "Being with you here today, I can see… that everyone loves you. People are moved to tears when you speak to them, and everyone enjoyed your performance."

She doesn't understand anything… Then again, she's a normal girl, so...

"It's not like anyone's really smiling at me. They're just happy they got to meet 'Prince Sieg'." I tell her.

"That's…" Carly begins, but she trails off; probably not what she was expecting to hear from me.

"I'm just someone who bears the title of 'prince'. That's all I'm worth." I reply honestly. What is it about her that prevents me from hiding things.

"Maybe so…" She says; either she agrees with me, or she couldn't respond easily. "At least, I don't think people would flatter you so much if you weren't a prince."

She's right about that.

"Haha, yeah," I say, but I still feel pretty down; I make eye contact with her. "But here I've got the only woman who doesn't treat me like I'm special."

"You must be angry about what happened before." Carly says.

"No," I tell her. "It was my fault for not thinking about the feelings of the people who made those cakes. Sorry…"

"N-Not at all." Carly tells me.

"I gave the rest of the order out to my staff, so it all got eaten." I tell her.

"Really? That's good." Carly says, and she smiles.

"That cake was delicious." I tell her; no lie, I loved it. I feel my face go red, and I try to avert my eyes.

"Thank you…" Carly says, with a big, wide smile.

So beautiful...

* * *

><p>Once I got back to the castle, I soon close the door to my office and I sigh romantically, feeling satisfied with the day's events. She saw a side of me only Hans saw, and I felt like I was on cloud nine.<p>

"That was amazing…" I said as I sit down at my desk. "Never have I felt like this…"

"Sieg, you seem to be happy." Hans said.

I nod in reply; I feel like everything is going right for me today.

I was hoping that soon I could win her over and make her mine forever. I don't know why, but I feel like a fairytale prince who had just fallen in love at first sight with his fated princess. I felt like I found love, and I am _not _about to let it go.

"Sieg, I heard from the head pastry chef here that Carly's work was very well-received," Hans told me. "He said that he wants Carly to help out again."

"Hey, that would be great! Since Nobel Michel will be holding a party on a boat in a little while, this is the perfect excuse to see Carly again…" I say, getting all dreamy.

After that, I keep going over to Carly's house to see her and take her out for different types of functions people in high society such as myself go to. Elegant balls, operas, everything. I personally think of this as taking her out on dates, but… That's probably not how she sees it.

I'm at Carly's house once again; she seemed more tired out than normal.

"Tonight we're going to a wine-tasted event. Hurry up and get ready." I tell her.

"I just got back from work!" She complained.

"I thought you looked more tired than usual," I tell her. "You've got two minutes. Wash your face."

She rolls her eyes in annoyance. However, on the way here, I thought I might have seen a cat, so I cough a bit. I ask her, "By the way, I wanted to ask you… does someone living around here have a cat? I saw one over there."

Carly looks at me and she cocks an eyebrow before saying, "A cat…? I don't know. Maybe it's a stray."

"A stray…" I say, my eyebrows going up. I didn't think such a thing existed. Stray cats, I mean.

"What is it?" Carly asks.

"N-Nothing," I say, averting my eyes. "More importantly, hurry up and get changed."

Later at the wine-tasting, I am, as always, greeting people and being a gentleman, but I soon see Carly sitting at her seat, and she was looking a little sullen… Albeit in a cute way.

"You look lie a mouse huddled there in the corner," I tell her, as I come back over there. "Does your body lack the refinement to handle fine wine?"

Carly rolls her eyes and she says, "No, I made sure to take the opportunity to have more than my share. And can you stop comparing me to animals like squirrels, dogs, and mice? I'm a human being."

She's become immune to the sarcasm I have; the other princes have gotten to that point, too. They've known me for a while, so that's how they're able to become like that, but outsiders need a while.

I snort before sipping some wine, and I feel like this girl could become someone really precious to me.

"Um… I'ev been thinking. Why do you bring me along to these little functions?" Carly asks me.

"Is it a bother?" I ask her; I hope it isn't.

"No, it's not a bother. I just don't understand." Carly tells me.

I just down the rest of the wine I have in my glass; there's _no way _I can tell her that I love her, especially not after how I've been acting.

"There's not really a reason," I lie to her. "I thought it would be interesting… to have an ordinary person like you around."

"There's no deeper reason than that?" Carly asks me.

I hesitate to answer.

"Um, Sieg, I said it wasn't a bother, but actually…" Carly begins.

I decide to cut in before she can get a word in edgewise.

"By the way, there's going to be a boat parted hosted by Nobel Michel." I tell her.

"Another one?" Carly replies.

"Yeah, this time it's to entertain the politicians and members of the royal family who will be working to hold the Nobel Expo." I explain to her.

"Politicians and the royal family… Wow." Carly says, impressed.

"Yeah, and I want you to come, too." I say, making my request.

"But Sieg, I…" Carly begins to protest, but I think she fails to know what's going on.

"If you were there as a pastry chef, you'd have no complaints, right?" I ask her.

"Huh?" Carly inquires to me, confused.

"According to Hans, the head pastry chef at Nobel Michel Castle said that he wants you to help again." I tell her; this will probably make things easier.

"R-Really?" Carly asks, brightening up. She always seems so much happier when sweets are on the mind.

"Thank you! I'd be honored to!" Carly says, her smile so dazzling. I feel my heart skip a beat as I see her smile.

"Thanks to me, you're used to parties now. It'll be a piece of cake for you." I tell her.

Carly looks at me, as if analyzing what I'm saying, but I get a little nervous, and ask, "What, is there something you're not happy with?"

"No, I'm really happy! Thank you so much!" Carly says, as she smiles, showing me her beautiful teeth; there's more to her than I thought...

* * *

><p>On the boat, I'm in the kitchen, making some nice comfort food for Carly; being an ordinary girl, I think that the type of food I'm making will be perfect for her.<p>

I finish some rice balls that I made before putting them on a platter and putting a dome over the platter to keep them warm. I also plate an omelette I made for her, and I soon continue with other simple foods for her.

Now, I know what you're thinking: how do I know all of this? Simple: ancestry.

Okay, let me elaborate. My grandfather, King Joshua Lieben, met and fell in love with his Queen when they were in their early twenties, younger than Carly and I. My grandfather forcibly brought my grandmother to DresVan under the misunderstanding she was the granddaughter to Lord Michel. She and and grandfather got to know each other and fell in love, overcoming trials of all sorts. So, what does this have to do with my ability to cook.

Grandfather asked my grandmother to give their children and grandchildren how to cook, so both my father and I have learned how to cook comfort food like this, because my grandmother was actually a commoner that married into the royal family.

So, I finished up the omelette and other foods for Carly. I _did_ promise to make her something to eat, so this is what I'm up to.

During the boat party, I'm mingling with the other guests while Carly is serving cake at the party, and everyone seems to love it so far. As expected of her. I meet eyes with her for a second, but to make sure I don't get off-track, I turn back to the guests around me. Although this is a little dull, it's a lot better with Carly right there.

I noticed Aslan, Hayden, and Oliver eating and enjoying some of Carly's cake, and they seemed to like it a lot.

_'Great work, Carly…' _I think to myself.

What I didn't tell Carly was that I asked Hans to prepare her for a dance with me. I can't wait for another dance with her, and I'm anticipating what she was going to come in with. I picked out the dress and I'm leaving the rest to Hans.

I'm soon talking with another woman, but I soon meet Carly's eyes; she was _gorgeous_ in that outfit.

"Excuse me," I say, excusing myself from the woman I'm speaking to, and then I walk over to her. I hold out my hand and smile at her, trying to be as charming as possible. "Your hand…"

"Okay…" Carly says, putting her hand in mine. I press a kiss to it, and I feel like this is just the fairytale I wanted.

I start to lead her into the dance, and I feel like I'm on cloud nine.

"What's the matter, Sieg?" Carly asks of me.

"What do you mean?" I ask her; hopefully she didn't catch on.

"You seem kind of different than usual." She states.

"I'm not. I'm the same as always." I tell her; good, she didn't notice...

"Really…?" Carly skeptically asks me.

I hear her stomach rumbling, and I see her look down; she's probably embarrassed. I decide not to react, because I didn't want to embarrass her. Besides, food was on the way for her anyway.

I lead her to a wall, telling her, "You wait here."

"Okay." Carly says, being more obedient than normal.

I come back a few minutes later and I see Carly eating the rice balls quite happily.

"But why do you have plain old rice here…?" Carly asked Hans.

"Well…" Hans begins, but I intervene.

"I said I'd make something for you, didn't I?" I remind her, as I come over to Carly's side; I give her a proud smile.

"What do you mean?" Carly asked.

"Geez, you're so slow… I made these." I tell her, albeit I wish she figured it out herself. She's not stupid, but… She's a little slow...

"What?!" Carly says, quite surprised. "B-But this is like… ordinary home cooking. Why do you know…"

I smile and tell her, "My grandmother taught me."

"Your grandmother… King Joshua's Queen?" Carly asks; she knows her royals.

"Yeah, that's right." I tell her.

She's obviously heard the story about my grandparents.

"I learned to cook from my grandmother. She was from a common background, so these are all simple foods… The taste isn't bad, though." I explain.

"I see…" Carly says, cluing in.

"Try something else." I tell her.

"Okay." Carly says, before taking a bite of the omelette I made.

"How is it…?" I ask her, hoping she likes it.

"This is really good, too! It's somehow comforting and filling." Carly says, wholeheartedly.

I relax a bit; she has good taste and I feel so relieved.

"I thought these flavors would be perfect for you," I say, with a big smile. This is a smile of enjoyment, and I feel so happy. "Anyway, are you gonna eat them all?"

This is a lot of food, even for her...

"Yeah, I'm really hungry." Carly says, with a big smile.

"I know. Your stomach was rumbling during the dance." I tell her.

"Argh, you noticed?!" Carly asked, a bit flustered; she knew her stomach rumbled.

"There's no way I couldn't, being so close to you," I respond; her face was red. "But even if you're that hungry, can you really eat all this?"

"I can! Anyway, it'd be a waste to leave it when you made it just for me." Carly says.

That's something my grandmother would often say. She was very careful about food and how not to waste it. It really is nostalgic.

"Hahaha!" I laugh, feeling the joys of having the memories of my grandmother.

"Is something funny?" Carly asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"No, you just reminded me of how my grandmother always used to say 'don't waste food'. You remind me of her." I tell her, honestly.

"I do…?" Carly asked; I swear, her cheeks were pink.

"Hey, Pastry Cutie, what are you eating there?" I hear someone ask. Crap, it's Oliver...

I turn around with Carly and I see Oliver, Hayden, Aslan, and Kuon standing there.

"Um, Prince Sieg cooked me some special food that his grandmother taught him to make." Carly explained.

Kuon got on my case and then asked me, "I heard the rumors, but you really are smitten, aren't you?"

Nuts… I didn't think they'd catch on so quick, but they're my childhood friends, so what was I expecting?

I lie and say, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"And yet, the two of you were off in your own little world during that dance." Oliver teased, with his usual smile.

"Did you come to mock me?" I ask; I really wanted some alone time with Carly.

"Whoa, scary! Can I try some of this, too?" Oliver asks.

"It's not for you." I state; the only one I want eating this is Carly and her alone!

"Thanks for the delicious cake earlier." Aslan says, taking Carly's hand into his own, and smiling at her. Why that little…!

"Oh, not at all…" Carly said, blushing a little bit; she's flattered. REALLY?!

"Aslan… you don't need to show gratitude over a mere cake. It's her job to make excellent desserts." I tell Aslan, trying to get him to back off.

Hayden chuckles before saying, "You've gotta be less confrontational, Sieg."

I notice that he's giving Carly a meaningful look in her direction, and that only annoys me even more.

Nearing the end of the party, I see Carly is standing on the deck of the boat and looking at the stars. She is talking with Kuon and she starts to panic.

"Huh?! The boat's not heading back to the port tonight?!" Carly says, quite upset.

"You didn't know…?" Kuon asks.

"No…" Carly states, a little worried.

I'd better get her out of this jam...

"Hans, go and check." I tell my butler.

"Yes, right away." Hans says, before going in to check on the rooming situation.

When he gets back, he says to Carly, "I'm so sorry! It seems like there was a mix-up and no room has been prepared for you…"

Crap… But I _do_ have an idea...

"Really…" Carly says, a bit worried.

"There isn't a spare room for her?" Oliver asks.

"I checked, but unfortunately they're all full…" Hans explains.

"Well, this is a problem…" Aslan says in response.

No joke about that...

"I-It's fine! I can sleep on that bench over there." Carly says; not the bratty type, and resourceful…

"That's a bench… and it's outside." Kuon points out.

I admire how bold she is, and I honestly think its funny how she's willing to get hypothermia just so she doesn't bother others… I end up laughing.

"Pfft… Hahaha! You're a funny girl, offering to sleep out on the deck!" I state, while holding my sides in laughter. "I'm impressed by your boldness, but I can't allow that."

I take hold of her arm and say, "Come with me."

"S-Sieg, wait! Where are you taking me?" Carly asks me.

"To my room." I state.

Now don't get the wrong idea. I know what's called for and when, and I know when it's not called for. I'm trying to make sure she sleeps in a good spot, plain and simple.

"Huh?!" Carly squeaks, a bit spooked.

"Your other clothes are there, so it's perfect, right?" I ask her; I knew Hans had her change in my room.

"S-Sieg?!" Carly asks, a bit scared; I think I know what she's afraid of...

"Your other clothes…?" Oliver asks.

Nuts… I'm worried that's going to give everyone the wrong idea.

"So it's already… like that between you two?" Aslan inquires to us.

"No! Don't get the wrong idea!" Carly says, denying the situation.

Good, she isn't taking advantage of the situation to put me in a scandalous spot...

"Really?" Oliver asks.

I jump in and explain, "Yeah. Carly just used my room when she changed into her dress."

"But it's pretty suspicious the way you were both so quick to deny it…" Oliver states.

I swear, Oliver's mind is almost always in the gutter...

We go to my room on the boat and Hans opens the door for us.

"Go ahead." Hans says, gesturing for Carly to enter.

She enters hesitantly; she's probably a bit freaked out about this… Can't say I blame her.

She sits on the sofa, and Hans pours herbal tea for her. I sit next to her, feeling like I can finally get some privacy with her.

"Hans, that'll be all for today." I tell my butler.

"Understood. Well then, excuse me and good night." Hans says, before leaving the room and shutting the door.

It's only the two of us, and this is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping for, but as I said earlier, I know what's called for, what's not, and when.

I see Carly go stiff; I hope she's okay.

"What is it? You've been awfully quiet. Are you ill?" I ask, worried about her.

"N-No, I'm fine…" Carly says, a bit nervous. She raises her head while speaking and she and I become face-to-face.

So close… So close, I could kiss her...

"Uh…" I say, my face going red and Carly looks away.

The atmosphere becomes awkward and I feel like this is going to go a little oddly.

I clear my throat and state, "Today must have been tiring for you."

"No, everyone was so pleased with the cake, and I got to try your cooking… so it was an amazing day." Carly tells me; hearing that she enjoyed my cooking was nice.

"Really? It's been a while since I cooked, so it was fun for me too," I tell her, being honest. "I often cooked for parties back in DresVan, but… recently, they haven't' had the right sort of atmosphere for it."

"Oh?" Carly asked, curious.

Why is it so easy for me to open up around her? Do I love her that much?

"Yeah. There are a lot more parties I skip out on now. They all just feel pointless." I state.

Recently, parties in DresVan were becoming a little too extravagant. We have a motto of simplicity, for crying out loud!

"They're completely different," I tell her. "The King…"

"Sieg…?" Carly asks me; I sense concern in her voice.

Crap, if I'm not careful, I could reveal too much; I frown for a moment, and then change the subject.

I say, "No, it's nothing… By the way, about your cakes…"

"Y-Yes?" Carly asks, a bit worried.

"Give me the recipe." I tell her. I want to be able to make cake, too. But I also want to be able to have a piece of her with me when we're apart...

"The recipe…?" Carly asks, a little baffled.

"Yeah, I wanna challenge myself to bake cakes next," I tell her. "I've already mastered general cooking."

"You're gonna bake… heheh." Carly says, with a laugh; she either thinks I might be an idiot, or something else...

"Are you laughing at me?" I ask her, my cheeks going red.

"No… I think that's a great idea. You're so good at cooking, I'm sure you'll get the hang of baking right away." Carly tells me.

Coming from her, that makes me feel so much better.

"You think so?" I ask her, pleased. I think my eyes softened a bit, but I continue. "Your cakes have a nostalgic taste, just like the food my grandmother made. I want to try and reproduce them myself."

I give her a tender expression, feeling like my whole world is complete with her at my side.

"Well, let's go to bed. Get up." I tell her, taking her by the arm and pull her towards the bedroom.

No, she and I are _not_ going to sleep in the same bed. I know better than that...

"T-To bed?!" Carly asked, freaking out a bit.

"What? It's late. We should sleep." I tell her.

"It's not that…" Carly begins, panicking.

"Or is it that you wand a goodnight kiss?" I ask her; I lift her chin and bring my face close to mine. She squeezes her eyes shut, and then I chuckle a bit. "you're incredibly stubborn, but you lose your nerve pretty quick."

"T-T-That's not true!" Carly tells me.

"Then you don't mind?" I ask her.

I open the door to the bedroom and then I push her inside by herself.

"Huh?" Carly asked, confused.

"You look disappointed?" I ask her. "Ddi you think we were gonna sleep together?"

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that was what she was freaked out about. I guess it's never happened to her before, so I tease a bit.

"Wha…?!" She begins.

I see her turn red, and I'm on the verge of laughing at her.

"Sleep well." I tell her.

"Wait, what about you?" She asks me.

"I'll sleep in the living room." I tell her.

"But this is your room… so I should…" Carly begins; I know where she's going with this.

"You might not be nobility, but you're still a woman," I state. "Making a woman sleep on the sofa wouldn't be very prince-like. So get to bed."

"Thank you…" Carly tells me. She shuts the door, and she and I both head to sleep.

See what I mean? I know there's a time and place for everything.

The next morning, I wake up a little while before Carly does; I silently check on her in the bedroom, and like I imagined, she's as beautiful as Sleeping Beauty.

I have to attend a breakfast meeting with Hayden and the others, so I immediately get dressed and leave the room; since the ship docks just after the meeting ends, I try to keep my urges to get close to Carly under control.

After the meeting is over, I return to my room; Carly is probably waiting for me in there. I open the door, only to see everything that belongs to Carly was gone. Carly was gone, as well.

The ship had docked, so I suspected that she probably left the ship and went back to work. Not even a 'goodbye' to me. I get so upset that I take the flowers out of the vase and I throw them at the wall. I was about to scream in anger when Hans came in.

"Sieg," Hans said, before calming down; must have freaked him out. "Miss Carly has left the boat. However, she asked me to give you this."

Hans handed me a note, and I saw that it was the recipe for the cake that I asked for; I blush in happiness. Now I have a piece of my love with me.

"Carly's cake recipe…" I say, with a big, wide smile.

"She also wanted me to pass along her thanks. Carly had a wonderful time last night, and she appreciates you letting her use your room." Hans tells me.

"Well… at least I'll be in Nobel Michel for a while longer. I'll just make this cake recipe on my off-time," I state. "Now I have a bit of Carly with me…"

* * *

><p>After we return to the castle, it's meeting after meeting, but during my breaks, I'm in the kitchen.<p>

"Okay, time to replicate Carly's cake recipe…" I state. I look at the recipe and I am a bit confused by its instructions. I take out the flour and sugar… Eggs, butter, and everything. I remember that she used honey, so I take that out, too.

I try again and again to make sure I get it right, but baking is so hard. It's not like cooking at all.

"Damn… This one is too sweet…" I tried adding honey along with the sugar to the batter to round out the flavor like she told me that one time, but I ended up making it _too_ sweet...

The next day, I try adding some extra cornstarch to it, only for the cake to come out a little too moist for my taste.

"Ugh… Too moist… A little too light, too…" I complain to myself.

I keep trying, but I end up screwing things up all the time, like using bread flour, thus making it too tough. One time, I used the wrong leavening agent, and it came out kind of dense. The next day, I try melting chocolate in it, but it doesn't taste quite right.

After a week, I decide one thing.

"I can't use this recipe!" I complain to myself. "I'd better go and get Carly to teach me…"

Listen, I am ticked she left without a goodbye, but I know she can teach me how to do this correctly. A guy in love will do strange things, won't he?

I take up the recipe for Carly's cake and tuck it into my shirt pocket; however, I look at myself and think that I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb in these clothes.

"Damnit…" I say to myself. I take off my apron and decide to leave the kitchen; however, I look back and realize I've made quite a mess. A self-respecting cook like myself can't do that!

After I clean up my mess, I put on a disguise that consisted of a black leather jacket, a grey undershirt, black sunglasses, and jeans; I know this is unbecoming of a royal, but I have to see her again…

I make it to Patisserie Brown without any bodyguards or security; not even Hans is here. However, I soon as I walk in, I'm surrounded by people murmuring and looking at me. Don't tell me I'm already found out...

The customers are crowding the store, but I soon see Carly at the register and she said, "Welcome!"

"Hey, Carly. That guy's pretty hot, right?" One of Carly's co-workers asked, as she was pointing to me. "I feel like I've seen him before. Is he an actor?"

Actor, huh? Better than having my cover blown right off the bat...

"Yeah, I feel like I recognize him too…" Carly says, looking at me curiously.

I turn in her direction and I come over to the register desk. I Hold up the note, and ask, "Who's the pastry chef who wrote this recipe?"

Her eyes went wide for a second.

"T-That's mine! Sie-" She begins, but then she covers her mouth; whew, she remembered not to use my name like this… "I'm the one who wrote it. Excuse me, but could we step outside?"

Good call on her end...

She drags me out behind the store and she starts lecturing me again.

"What's going on? What are you thinking coming by the store unprotected!? It'll be complete chaos is they find out you're THE Prince Sieg!" Carly complained to me.

At least she knows what the consequences are for a Prince to be caught in public… But still, that's what I was dressed up in these clothes for.

"That's why I'm in disguise. Duh." I state, annoyed.

"Disguise…?" Carly asks.

"It's your fault I came out unprotected to your little cake shop, you know." I tell her, averting my eyes and crossing my arms.

"What do you mean?" Carly asks; dense, isn't she?

"You left your recipe behind and not a word after." I tell her; I was really sad that she left without a word.

"Not a word… I can't just call the castle and expect to talk to you!" Carly snaps.

Tch… She's right, isn't she?

"I told you I wanted to recreate your cake myself," I explain to her. "You expect a perfectionist like me to do it by following directions on a paper?"

"What are you talking about?" Carly asks me.

Dense, right?

"Connect the dots with that plebeian mind of yours already…" I say, nearly groaning. "I'm saying I want you to teach me how to make this cake."

"Teach you? But…" Carly says, about to protest, but...

I lean over her, causing her to have her back against the wall; I put my hand next to her so she doesn't get away from me.

"I won't take no for an answer. I'm not about cutting corners," I tell her. "When I need to accomplish something, I do it right. You're gonna help me."

"Ugh… Fine," Carly says. "But not now."

"What?" I ask her.

"I'm still on my shift; I can't have you in the kitchens during opening hours or it could cause some issues. If you're caught in the kitchen, won't that cause a scandal?" Carly asks.

Damn, she's right.

"You're going to have to wait until closing time," Carly says to me. "Please?"

"Tch… Fine." I say, groaning a bit.

It takes a few more hours before everyone leaves; I wait at the back door to the shop, like Carly asked me to, and I keep looking at my watch impatiently.

She finally opens the door and I walk inside into the kitchen; I look around, and it looks well-kept.

"Late as usual. How long were you gonna keep me waiting?" I ask her; I didn't know if I could wait much more to spend time with her.

"I couldn't help it. I had to wait until all the staff left." Carly explained to me.

Excuses, excuses… but she's right.

"Let's get started." I say, before going to the hand sink to wash my hands.

"Okay, let's start with laying out the ingredients and the bakeware." Carly says, as she cracks her knuckles and gets to work.

That was something my grandmother taught me as a child, so I think I know what I'm doing with this, so I question her.

"Lay out the ingredients and bakeware…? Isn't that simple common sense?" I asked.

"Yes, but it's very important when baking. Using the right tools and measurements _matter_ if you want it to come out right." Carly explains to me.

That explains why I've messed up so many times… You can't just be all random with the ingredients; it has to be balanced.

"So if cooking is an art, baking is an exact science!" I say, coming to a realization.

"Right, now you're starting to think like a pastry chef," Carly says, with a smile. "How many times have you tried this?"

"I messed up each time…" I say, embarrassed.

We soon make it to the flour mix for the cake as Carly is working on the batter itself. I have a bowl of flour in front of me and I see a large spoon in the bowl.

"Is this how you mix the flour?" I ask, a little nervous.

"Yep. Take big scoops from the bottom of the bowl." Carly explains to me.

"Big scoops…" I mutter, as I start to concentrate and get working; I want to get this right. I _have_ to get this right!

I notice that Carly's staring at me in observance, and then I ask her, "Didn't I already tell you it's rude to stare?"

"Uh, sorry. I was just thinking there's something different about you today." Carly tells me, with a small smile.

Different, huh? Well, maybe I've finally won her over and now I'm going to make my move. I ask, "Are my baking skills whisking your heart away?"

Okay, that was corny, I know, but I'm not Oliver! I don't have as much luck with the ladies as he does…

"O-Of course not!" Carly says, quickly denying it.

I feel a little disappointed, so I change the subject and say, "Baking is a whole different beast than cooking."

"That's because it requires a different skill set." Carly explains to me.

This explains why I messed up my cake so many times. It's because I was using the wrong skill set.

"Right, so even though I might be good at cooking…" I begin, about to say that while I'm a great chef, I might not be a great _baker_.

"You really do love to cook, don't you?" Carly asks me, with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess it's my hobby." I tell her, feeling more comfortable.

"Your grandmother would be very pleased to hear that." Carly says, with a happy smile and shrug.

I think she'd be right about that; maybe grandma _would_ be happy to hear such words...

However, as we continue working, we end up hearing the rattling of store door opening; I freeze for a moment, and then Carly and I lock eyes in a panic.

"W-What do we do? Someone's coming!" Carly whispers, about to panic. "Sieg, you've gotta hide!"

What? Hide? NO WAY!

"Hide? I'm not doing something that undignified!" I state.

"There's no time to be a picky prince!" Carly snaps lightly. "Over here!"

She starts to push me towards the shadow of the closet; she stumbles a bit, and squeaks, "Argh!"

"What are you doing?" I ask; I catch her and her face is pressed against my chest.

I wrap my arms around her, and I feel my heart pounding; I feel like my princess is finally here. I never thought that this moment would come so soon… nor under these circumstances, either.

"S-Sorry…" Carly says.

"N-No problem…" I tell her; I feel my face go red and I hold on to her.

We hear the sound of the kitchen door opening and we hear someone.

"Huh? Is someone here?"

Carly tries to pull away, but I decide not to let her leave for two reasons: one, it would rouse unexpected thoughts, and two, I want her to stay close to me.

"Don't move. You'll look like a weirdo if you pop out of the closet." I tell her, whispering into her ear; I squeeze my arms tighter around her.

"But…" Carly begins, but I won't hear any of it.

"Must be Carly… She _did_ say she was going to stay and practice." Her co-worker said.

The other worker looks around, as if looking for something she lost, and then she leaves the kitchen.

Once the door closes, we both let out a breath.

"Is she gone?" I ask her.

"Yeah," Carly says. "My heart's pounding."

I feel my heart skip a beat when she said that. Maybe she felt the symptoms of love when we were that close together, too. If that were the case…

"Your heart?" I ask her, hoping for a romantic answer.

"Yeah, I didn't think anyone would come back tonight." Carly said.

Crap…

"So that's what you mean…" I mutter.

"What do you think I meant?" Carly asks, sweetly.

"Nothing," I tell her; I swear, my cheeks are redder than apples right now. So, I decide to change the subject. "It's a pain to work in secret like this."

"Yeah, we might get caught eventually." Carly says, in agreement.

I then get an idea; I'll have Hans arrange for her to come to Nobel Michel Castle on a daily basis to teach me how to bake. I can spend more time with her, learn how to bake, and no issues of privacy will be a concern!

"Next time, you'll come and teach me at the castle." I tell her.

"Huh?" Carly asks, confused.

* * *

><p>A few days after that, I'm in a meeting that's running overtime, and since Carly is done with work for the day, she's on her way here. I'm talking about my Expo work with the other royals here, but I'm anxious to have her here.<p>

"Yo, Sieg," Oliver says, as the meeting ends. "We're gonna go out for drinks tonight; wanna join in?"

Look, I can hold my liquor, much like my grandfather, King Joshua, but I know better than to get drunk when I have a lady waiting for me.

"No thanks," I tell my friends. "I have a lesson with Carly."

"What?" Aslan asks me.

"I have a lesson with Carly; I'm not giving you any details." I explain.

However, I turn around and they're gone. Crap, not again...

I start to run to the kitchens to meet up with Carly, only to see Aslan, Hayden, and Oliver in there talking with Carly.

"So this is where you went when you all suddenly disappeared." I state, as I walk into the kitchen.

"Well, when we heard the Pastry Cutie was here, we just had to pay her a visit!" Oliver said.

Damn… They're always butting into my private time...

"You don't need to go out of your way to say hi." I tell him; I just want some alone time with Carly...

Oliver picks up a sieve and examines it.

"That's for siting the flour." Carly explains.

"Ooh, I see. I kinda wanna five it a try too," Oliver says. "What about you, Hayden? You wanna try baking?"

Is Oliver being serious right now?! He can't do this to me!

"I… don't really care." Hayden says in reply.

"Will you teach us, too?" Aslan asks of Carly.

That's the last thing I want; a group lesson when it's just supposed to be me and my love.

"Hm, well, I haven't prepared enough ingredients today, so another time?" Carly says in reply to Aslan.

Oh, phew, nice one, Carly! You turned them down. Nice work.

"Haha, that's a polite way to turn us down." Aslan said, with a laugh.

"Well, you'd better at least let us try the sweets you two make," Oliver requested, turning to me. "That's not too much to ask, is it Sieg?"

"Hm? Uh, sure…" I state.

"Today we're making cookies, so it shouldn't take long." Carly says, with a smile.

"Oh, you make cookies too?" Hayden asks.

"Yep. Sieg's a quick learner, so we'll be trying lots of different things, not just cookies." Carly says to Hayden.

"We'll be looking forward to trying them." Aslan said.

The other princes leave, and I soon let out a big sigh, before complaining to Carly, "Those guys even butt into my private time…"

Time that I wanted to spend with the love of my life.

"It's nice though, it proves they're your friends," Carly states to me. "And you're all working hard together for the Expo."

"I just…" I begin, as I gaze at Carly.

"What is it?" Carly asks.

Oops, there I go again…

"No, it's nothing," I begin, and then change the subject back to the matter at hand. "Should I start by melting the butter?"

However, in the middle of the baking, I get a call on my phone. I notice it's from Hans, and I pick up. Hans is just giving me flack about my public duties again.

"Sorry, Carly, looks like I'm going to have to cut this sort…" I say, bitterly.

"It's okay," Carly says. "You have responsibilities as a prince; you need to take care of them."

I smile in response to her statement; she's so sweet.

After a while, I see Carly in front of the room where the rest of the princes are and she seems to be standing there aimlessly.

"Carly." I say.

"Wha?!" Carly squeaks, before turning to me.

"What are you doing loitering around there?" I ask her; I must have scared her.

"Um I-I brought the cookies, but… they seem to be having an important conversation." Carly explained.

"An important conversation?" I ask her. I just roll my eyes a bit. "It's just their usual inane chatter. Give me the tray."

Carly and I go into the room and then I say, "Here they are."

"Finally!" Oliver said, cheerfully. "We've been looking forward to it!"

I begin explaining the different cookie flavors to Oliver, but it seems that Carly is a bit distracted. I'm stumped on what kind of nuts are in one of the cookies, so I ask her. She seems to have her head in the clouds.

"Hey, Carly, you listening?" I ask, about to snap my fingers.

"Huh?" Carly asks, snapping out of her daze.

"I asked what kind of nuts are in this one." I ask her.

"Oh, um, those are…" Carly says, trailing off.

"Something wrong?" Hayden asks.

"N-No, nothing's wrong…" Carly says to him in response.

However, she's having a hard time looking either Hayden or me in the eye.

After that, I'm stuck in the office for days on end with lots of stupid documents to do. However, while it's important as a prince to do these sort of things, I much would rather be in the kitchen with Carly at my side.

I decided to do my own baking and see if I've improved any more without Carly teaching me. I started to look up items that we had not made together at all. We've already covered cookies, brownies, cakes, sweet dough pastries, laminated doughs… But I soon found something I did not make with Carly yet: madeleines.

I find a recipe for vanilla madeleines, and I immediately like it. I smile a bit and get started on it; I grab a pan oil it to prevent the madeleines from sticking in the pan when they bake.

I start making up the batter. I melt the butter in a pan before setting it aside to let it cool off a bit; I look around four some vanilla extract, and I soon find a large bottle of the Madagascar vanilla, so I take it without a second thought.

"Carly _loves_ vanilla…" I mutter as I beat the vanilla extract into the eggs and salt.

I added about an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract. A little goes a long way, but Carly just _adores_ vanilla, so I decide to make sure it was a prominent flavor in the madeleines. I soon pan the batter into the mold for the madeleines and then I put the pan into the oven and set the timer before leaving it be to bake. I sigh romantically as I thought of Carly and how she would react to this.

The madeleines soon finish baking and I take them out of the oven; as a safety precaution, as always, I use my oven mittens and I take them out of the pan. Golden around the edges, and they spring back when I press on them, too. This was just what I wanted. I let them cool and package them up; just enough to make it look good, but not so much that she can't smell them.

I put them in a basket and take them to my office; I made them as a gift for Carly, not that I'd tell her something like that.

"Hans," I begin, as I put the basket down on my desk and get to work. "I want to give these to Carly; can you call her and have her come over?"

"Right away." Hans says, as he picks up his phone.

About half an hour later, I hear the door open.

"Miss Carly, good to see you." Hans says, mentioning the name of my girl.

"She's here?" I ask, as I look up from my desk; I'm swamped with work.

I glance in her direction, but then go back to my work.

"Um…" Carly says, as she approaches me. She gets close to me, and I feel her looking over my shoulder.

I look up at her, and I smile at her; I make sure I look at her as happily and sweetly as possible.

"Carly…" I begin, quietly.

"Y-Yes…?" Carly says, blushing a bit, and looking in my eyes.

"You…" I begin, but rather than saying something nice, I put my foot in my mouth about her clothes. "…Have absolutely no sense of style, as usual."

"Uh, okay…?" Carly says, in reply.

"I guess there's no point in saying anything about it now." I say, trying my best to control my mouth.

"You called me at the last minute. Sorry for looking like a hobo!" Carly complained, holding back a scoff.

"Whatever. Come closer." I say; I wanted her to get closer so she can smell the madeleines.

"That smell…" Carly says, as she got closer to the basket.

"It's madeleines." I tell her, before holding out the basket to her.

"What's this?" Carly asks me.

"My skills have improved. I thought it was time to try making something of my own."

"Wow! You made them yourself?" Carly says, her eyes lighting up; she's impressed. "Is this what Hans said you wanted to give me?"

Crap, Hans! Why did you tell her that! I don't want her to know my feelings just yet...

"Don't get the wrong idea, it's not like I made them especially for you!" I say, denying my feelings for her. "I just wanted you to taste test them. A-Anyway, go ahead and try one."

Nice going, Sieg. That's the same as saying 'I made them for you, I hope you like them, my love'.

"Okay…" Carly tells me; she takes one, opens the wrapping, and she takes a bite. I watch with baited breath, as I really hope she likes them. "Mm.. it's delicious! The flavor of the vanilla beans really comes through."

That's exactly what I wanted.

"I know you like vanilla so I tried adding a bit extra." I tell her, not realizing my mistake.

She stares at me for a second, but then I ask, "What is it?"

"Nothing… Anyway, the shape is lovely too. They're good enough to sell in the store!" Carly tells me.

That makes me feel so good.

"Well, of course. I made them, after all." I state, with a large smile; I know that's a bit arrogant of me…

* * *

><p>A few days later is my next lesson with Carly. I really hope she enjoyed the madeleines. I was in the kitchen, waiting for her; I was getting impatient, because she was late again.<p>

She comes into the kitchen, and I say, "Late. You really do have no sense of propriety."

"Hi Sieg." Carly says; she seems to ignore the comment I made.

Coming over to met, she gives me the box she was holding.

"I recreated the madeleines you gave me." She says; she liked them that much?

"Oh yeah…?" I ask her.

"Go ahead and try one." She asks of me, and I do.

I stuff one in my mouth; it tastes _exactly_ like the ones I made! What a pro!

"They're good! You nailed the flavor like a true pro." I tell her.

"Really? Thank goodness!" Carly says. "Actually, when I was bringing the cakes home, I gave one to a little boy who was crying. As soon as he took a bite, he stopped! He said he wanted another."

"That's nice to hear." I say; it's nice to see I'm making others happy with my baking. This feels so good.

"Then his mother said she really wanted me to sell them at the store… So I recreated your recipe!" Carly says.

I'm floored by this revelation… My recipe…? In _her_ store?! I don't believe this! I thought… She wasn't like the others...

"Your madeleines are a huge hit!" Carly says, with a carefree smile. "I wanted to thank you today…"

"This 'S' printed on the top…" I ask. I knew it… It's my initial.

"Yea, it's your initial. Oh, but no one…" Carly begins, but I've heard enough at that point

"I see how it is…" I state bitterly.

"Huh?" Carly says, not understanding. "Sieg…?"

"I really thought you were different…" I tell her; my heart feels like it was shattered into a million shards! I don't believe it! "I was so wrong."

"What are you talking about…?" Carly asks; she really looks confused, but I know its an act. The vixen...

"Your shop is profiting off my name. Lucky you," I sarcastically state. "Don't worry, this is the late time we'll be in touch."

"What…?" Carly asks, quite surprised.

I leave the kitchen, feeling like my heart had shattered into pieces.

I meet her eyes one last time, giving her a glare, and she seems to get the hint.

I storm back into the office, causing Hans to jump in surprise.

"Sieg, what happened?" Hans asked me.

"From no on, turn away Carly at every chance you get!" I state.

"What happened?" Hans asks me again.

"She's selling the madeleines I made in her store, with my initial on it! I thought she wasn't like other women…" I begin, before going into sobs.

After that I just drown myself in my Expo work. A few days later, Hans comes in.

"Sieg, Miss Carly came by, but with the lie I told her, she went home, but…" Hans begins, and I look up.

Why do I still care about her even though she betrayed me?

"She wants you to go to the store tomorrow; she has something for you to see that's important for the both of you." Hans tells me.

Important for us both…? How is that possible? Oh, whatever… I'll just go and see how well things are going now that my name has been used in her baking...

The next day, I pull up to the store in the car, and I see Carly coming at me. I get out of the car as she comes over.

"Sieg! You came!" She says.

Not really happy that she's all cheerful, I coldly ask her, "What did you want to show me?"

"What I wanted to show you are… these customers," Carly says, showing me the customers that are eating the madeleines. "I wanted you to see with your own eyes… the happiness your cakes bring."

"That's all?" I state, rolling my eyes.

"What do you mean 'that's all'?" Carly asks me.

"Like I said. It's not my skill that brings these people, it's my name," I tell her, snapping, as if it were obvious. She used my name in the store and she knows it. "If they weren't 'the prince's madeleines', people wouldn't give a crap! You used me as free publicity because you knew that."

"Huh…?" Carly asks, almost as if she doesn't know what I'm saying.

"Don't play coy. You even branded them with an 'S' for 'Sieg'," I tell her. "You're just like all the other harpies that surround me."

I'm on the verge of tears at that point.

"That's just it, Sieg. No one even _knows_ they're yours. Not even my coworkers." Carly says, with a calm, but firm tone of voice.

Wait, what? She didn't tell anyone they were my recipe? She kept that under wraps?

"What…?" I ask, surprised at hearing this… Maybe I was wrong about being wrong about her… Or rather, I was right about her being different… Could it be…?

"They're popular because people genuinely love them! They keep coming back because they can't get enough!" Carly explains to me.

I hesitate to speak again. I look at the line of people lining up to buy my madeleines. I don't believe this… People love my baking, and they don't even know its mine...

I see their smiles, and I feel so happy about this...

"Miss Cake Lady!" A young boy and his mother were walking towards us, and he's holding one of my madeleines in his hand, eating it happily.

"You bought some more! Thanks!" Carly says, quite happy.

"Yep, they're so yummy!" He says, smiling.

"We'd love if it you could sell them again, for his sake!" The boy's mother asks.

"Thanks, Miss Cake Lady!" The young boy says, as he and his mother walk off together with big smiles.

"Their smiles are because of you," Carly tells me. "Please don't think that it's 'just because you're a prince'…"

"Carly…" I begin; I feel so horrible about what I said! How could I have _ever_ doubted her?! I can't even believe that I did…

"And thanks to you, I also learned that it's possible for something as little as cake to spread happiness around," Carly tells me, before turning back to face me. "To the customers and to me… you're important as a person, not as a prince."

"Important as a person, not as a prince"… That's… the sweetest thing I've ever heard. I feel my heart swell up with joy at hearing this, and I feel like crying tears of happiness at this. I shouldn't have doubted her...

"Sorry for jumping to conclusions." I tell her, my face filled with regret.

"No… it's my fault. I put that 'S' on the madeleines," Carly says, also apologizing. I guess there's fault on both ends here… "I did it because they were your idea. I wanted to give you credit, even if it was our secret."

There was one thing that's bothering me now...

"Didn't people as you why you put an 'S'?" I ask her.

"I told them it was an 'S' for 'special'." She replies to me.

"Special Madeleines…?" I ask her.

I turn away, and I feel my cheeks tug at my mouth and form a smile; that was so simple! But… It's just as I'd expect from her.

"Hahaha! 'S' for 'special'…!" I begin, laughing happily.

"Is that funny?" Carly asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"No, I thought it was kinda… simplistic, but that's SO you! Pfft." I state, while laughing.

"Geez, it's not that funny!" Carly protests, puffing up her cheeks.

She and I lock eyes, and we grin at one another; I must have misunderstood everything from the get-go, and I feel so much better now that everything is cleared up.

"Thanks, Carly…" I tell her, my eyes filled with happiness and love.

"Sieg…" Carly says, her eyes wide and happy.

"You really are a cut above the rest…" I tell her; I softly touch her cheek, and it's as soft and smooth as silk… I think it's time for me to just vent to her. "Can we… talk? There's something I want to ask you…"

"Um… after my shift is over." Carly tells me.

"Okay. I'll be waiting in the car." I reply to her. I feel like I need to wait for her; I guess my impatience got the better of me and it led to this incident to begin with.

"S-Sure… I'd better be getting back." Carly says to me, blushing.

"Yeah." I tell her; I want to kiss her right now!

About an hour or so later, in the car, I bring Carly to the lake shore that looked out over Nobel Michel Castle. It was twilight and I bring Carly out of the limousine and bring her to the shore to show her the castle.

"Wow… this place is amazing." Carly says.

"Isn't it? All the castle residents know about it…" I tell her, and I feel the breeze in my hair.

"Really? This is all new to me." Carly says, as she walks up closer to me.

"You like it?" I ask her.

"Yeah. It's so calming…" Carly says.

I actually came here to cool my head when this misunderstanding started up...

"I love coming here when I need thinking time." I tell her; however, I grow somber, and then I stare into the sunset.

"So… what did you want to tell me?" Carly asked.

"Oh, yeah…" I say, nearly forgetting. "Remember you said I matter more as a person than a prince?"

"I do." Carly says, with a nod.

With a blush, I admit to her, "To be honest… That really made me happy. Because sometimes I feel that all people see is my title."

"Why do you think that's all you are?" Carly asks me.

"I…" I begin, finally deciding to tell her my troubles and what's been running through my mind. "Recently, a man called Ulrich embedded himself at my father, the King's, side. The King… threw me aside in favor of consulting him."

"Ulrich…" Carly says, running the name through her mind.

"All of my father's decisions about the country now pass through this man," I explain. "All he's left to me lately is carousing at galas and the like… I'm pretty much a cardboard stand-in for when they need a royal appearance."

Carly looks at me intently, listening to what I had to say, and I continued.

"I've been trained to the strictest of royal standards since I can remember. I'm here to support the King and take his place when the time comes… I feel discarded." I admit to her, feeling like she was the only one I could trust with this.

"Sieg…" Carly says, before putting one of her hands on my shoulder.

"I've heard the rumors of strange happenings in DresVan," I explain. "It all started when Ulrich attached himself as aide to my father. What the hell is he thinking, relying on someone as shady as that…?"

I gaze at the castle while my mind is elsewhere...

I sigh, and then tell Carly, "The commemoration of the founding of DresVan is creeping up. I expected an invitation, but…"

"You haven't had any contact?" Carly asks me, worried.

"No, I haven't…" I say, somberly; I feel like tears about to fall.

"That's so wrong!" Carly snaps. "You're invaluable to the people of DresVan! It's unthinkable that you're not invited to the commemoration ceremony!"

That was out of nowhere; I wasn't expecting that out of her.

"What got you in a tizzy?" I ask.

"Oops, I couldn't help myself…" Carly says.

"Actually, the day we first met… I had planned to rush back to my country. I received a report from a contact back in DresVan about a political upset. On the way to the airport, I got a call from my father that my presence wasn't needed. He told me to attend the party and that Ulrich was taking care of it. I was on my way back when I picked you up."

"So that's what happened…" Carly says, looking a little sad.

I remember the day I met her, the day I fell in love, and then I smile a bit.

"Pfft…" I grin as I remember the day I met her. "I can't help laughing when I remember you back then. Standing in front of the car covered in flour. You were pretty desperate."

"P-Please forget that ever happened!" Carly asks, all flustered and adorable.

"Never! You're the first woman that ever left a lasting impression on me!" I tell her, and I smile happily. "When I'm with you, I'm distracted from my obligations."

"Sorry…?" Carly says, apologizing. She didn't need to, but I decide to clarify anyway.

"Coming from me, that's a high compliment." I tell her.

"Huh?" Carly says, looking up at me.

I give her a sweet, gentle smile, and I feel so happy with her.

"Come on, I'll bring you back home." I tell her, as I bring her into the car, and I have Hans bring her back to her address.

* * *

><p>A few days later, things are back to normal. Carly comes over to the palace for our baking lessons and we always have a lot of fun together. However, today, things are a little… off.<p>

I'm working for the Nobel Expo, so it's meetings with the other princes, ministers, and other staff in the castle. I'm just starting in on some paperwork when Hans comes in.

"Hans, is Carly here?" I ask, eagerly.

"Um, no… About that… Miss Carly seems to have fallen sick," Hans tells me. "She tells me all she really needs is some rest, so she's stuck in bed, but other than that…"

What?! Carly's sick?! Oh, crap...

"I'd better go check on her," I state. "Hans, arrange the car."

"Hold on, Sieg," Hans tells me. "I understand you're worried, but why go and see her? You know that going out in public like this can cause some trouble. Besides, you have work to do."

Hans is right; I let out a big sigh of disappointment and then I just sit back down at my desk in defeat.

"You're right, Hans. It's just that… I have to make sure she's okay… Nourish her, help her recover… But first things first…" I say, before getting back to work; I'm still worried sick about her.

It might be a bad idea to ditch the Expo work in the middle of the day, so I decide to visit in the evening and check up on her. After I finish my work, I frantically change clothes and I run out of the castle; Hans tries to calm me down, but I don't listen to him at all.

I soon make it to Carly's apartment, and I ring the doorbell.

I hear her voice, and she says, "S-Sieg?! Sieg, not today."

She sounded a bit congested...

"What's this? You've got some nerve turning me away." I say to her.

"But I'm sick…" Carly tells me.

"Are you _really_ that dainty?!" I ask her, quite upset, if not worried about her. "Let me in!"

Carly just opens the door, and I cast a judging eye as I come into the room.

"What's this? Hans said you were bed-ridden, but you look suspiciously well." I tell her, looking up and down.

"Yeah, I was just feeling a bit under the weather." Carly tells me, before sniffling a bit.

"And yet you tried to ditch our lesson?" I ask her, with my eyes wide.

"I wasn't feeling well enough to _have_ the lesson!" Carly protested to me; she makes a good point. My grandmother always told me that sanitation is key.

"Then get back to bed." I tell her, as I grab her hand; I drag her back into the bed and make sure she gets in. Once I tuck her into bed, I make sure she's okay.

"What did you come here for, Sieg?" Carly asks me.

"As you can see, I came to make sure you're nourished." I tell her; that's not a complete lie, and I hold up a paper bag that I had been carried.

"Huh?!" Carly asks, quite surprised.

I go into the kitchen and start cracking eggs; I decide to make scrambled eggs for her, which, yes, was a dish my grandmother taught me to make. I work in the kitchen and I converse with Carly at the same time.

"Are you hungry?" I ask her; I know when you're sick, eating isn't the most helpful thing in the world, but if she has an appetite, that's a good sign.

"Yeah… I've been asleep all day." She tells me.

I smile and then say, "I see illness has no effect on your appetite. How very much like you. I swear you were packing it away like a hamster at the last party."

I never meant that as an insult, but I'm just saying it's perfectly expected for her to have an appetite in this situation.

"Hamster…" Carly muttered, not liking that phrase.

"There, it's done." I state. I plate the eggs into a bowl and I bring them into Carly's bedroom.

"Huh? Already?" Carly asks; she probably wasn't expecting anything done for a while.

"I'm a pretty good cook, you know." I say to her, as I come over to her.

"Ooh… is that scrambled eggs? It looks good." Carly says, seeing the bowl I have in my hands.

I pull a chair over to the bed, and sit down in it, in front of Carly.

"What are you doing?" Carly asked, a bit surprised.

"Open up." I tell her, as I spoon out some of the eggs; I blow on it, and then I hold it towards her mouth.

She freaks out a bit and says, "Wha?! It's okay! I can feed myself!"

"Patients should listen to their caretakers…" I say, trying to be patient with her.

"Ugh…" Carly complains.

"Come on." I tell her.

"Fine…" Carly says, before opening up her mouth. I put the food in her mouth. "Mm… it's really good."

"Of course it is." I say to her.

"The food you make all taste very… nostalgic," Carly tells me. "Did you grandmother teach you to make this too?"

"Yeah, she did," I tell her. "She used to make it for me when I was ill. I always felt much better after eating it."

"Hehe, I think I know what you mean," Carly says, with a light giggle. "When you eat food that's made with love, it warms you up from the inside out."

"Lo-?!" I begin, before catching my words, just as I was about to spill it. Crap, how did she know that?!

"What's the matter?" Carly asks me.

"N-Nothing," I tell her, blushing. "I'm gonna clean up. You eat the rest yourself."

"Huh? Uh, okay…" Carly says to me.

I shove the bowl at her and then I dash back into the kitchen in a bit of a frenzy. I'm so embarrassed… I hold my hands to my cheeks and feel they were hot. How the heck did she know that I made the eggs with my love for her in mind?! I start washing the pan I used, and the dishes I used to make the eggs in, and I feel like everything was jumbled up.

A few minutes later, Carly comes in and says, "Thanks for the food."

"Are you done eating already?" I ask her, seeing that she looked a bit better.

"Yes, thank you. I'll clean up the rest…" Carly begins, reaching for the bowl.

"It's fine, you stay in bed. Cleaning up is part of cooking." I tell her.

"That's true, but…" Carly tells me.

I take the bowl from her and I wash it in a snap before drying it off and putting it away.

"Okay then… I'll leave it to you." Carly says, before going back to the bed, but...

"Hey," I say, before reaching for her mouth. She doesn't move. "There's something on your lip…"

I quint a bit and I wipe it off with my finger, before telling her, "Geez, you're like a little kid."

"Thanks…" Carly says, with a disgusted look on her face.

She goes back to bed, and I say, "Well, you're fed and watered. Now you need bed rest."

"Aye aye, cap'n…" She says, jokingly.

She rolls into the bed, while I sit down in the chair and fold my arms.

"Um… Sieg, are you staying here?" Carly asks me, as if not expecting it.

"That a problem?" I ask her.

Look, I know it probably isn't becoming of me to stick around here when I could get sick, too, but I want to make sure she's okay.

"Not, it's just… I can't sleep with you watching. It makes me nervous." She tells me; that sort of amused.

"You're thinking too hard." I tell her.

She closes her eyes, but she opens them again and I meet her gaze.

"You're hopeless." I tell her, before chuckling; I gently stroke her hair back, and the texture of her hair is so soft and smooth.

"Why are you doing all this for me, Sieg?" Carly asks me.

"I…" I begin, but it's not like I can tell her I'm in love with her! "I thought I told you not to think too hard. Now get to sleep."

"Alright… Good night, Sieg." She says to me.

"Yeah, goodnight." I tell her, before she falls asleep. She looks so adorable like that.

I end up falling asleep, too; I end up sleeping with my body across her legs, which were under the covers.

I wake up to the scent of something cooking, and I stand up, stretching my back; I feel a little wobbly as I walk to the kitchen, as I hear some noises in there. I see Carly cooking in the kitchen; what a relief, she's recovered.

"What are you making?" I ask her.

"Oh, Sieg, good morning!" She says, turning to me.

"Mornin'," I say, a little groggy. I wobble about. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yep, I'm complete better! Thank you," She tells me, with a big, wide smile. "Um, I'm sorry to make you sleep like that."

"It's been a long time since I've sleep like that. I actually sleep pretty well. Thanks!" I tell her.

"Uh… Sorry…?" She says to me.

"And I got to hear you talking in your sleep." I joke.

"Huh, what? I was talking in my sleep?!" Carly says to me, quite surprised.

"I heard everything." I joked.

"Um, so what did I say…?" Carly asks me.

"You were calling my name." I tell her.

"Whaaat?!" Carly says, quite surprised; her face goes red.

"Pfft, hahaha! Just kidding." I say, trying to get her to relax.

"You…!" She gripes, a little upset.

"Are you making breakfast?" I ask her, with a smile.

"Oh, yeah. I wanted to thank you for yesterday…" She tells me.

"Rice balls?" I ask, as I see the rice cooker and some of the rice in Carly's hands.

"You made them for me that time at the party," Carly says, remembering the boat party. "I thought this time I'd make them for you, but…"

She shows me the flawed triangles she made out of rice, and says, "I can't make them into the perfect triangles you did."

"Heh." I say, snorting with laughter.

I take her hands into my own, and I look at them, thinking them so precious. I imagine a wedding ring on her left hand.

"You're the queen of pastries and yet you can't mold a rice ball. Maybe your hands are too small?" I say to her, gently stroking her fingers.

"Um… Sieg…?" Carly says, and I soon snap out of it.

"Oh, uh, sorry." I say, as I let go of her hands.

"It's okay…" She says to me.

Crap, what was I thinking?! I was off in my own world; I imagined Carly with a diamond wedding ring on her left ring finger that _I_ gave her after popping the question… But what if she doesn't feel the same way about me?

I regain my composure and say, "I guess I'll have to show you how to do it."

"Okay." She says.

I start training her in making rice balls; it's ironic that I'm the one teaching this time around, while she's the student this time. It's weird…

However, the door bell rings, and I say, "Someone's here."

"Who'd be coming by this early…" Carly asks.

We look through the peephole of the door, and Carly says, "We're fine; it's only Hans."

I breathe a sigh of relief and we let Hans into the room.

"Good morning Sieg, Miss Carly," Hans says, in his usual manner. "I'm sorry to intrude."

"Hans." Carly says, in greeting.

"I'm here to pick up Sieg." Hans said.

"Is it that time already…?" I ask, looking at my wrist watch. "Well, thanks for everything."

"No, thank you so much for looking after me." Carly says.

"Don't worry about it. You were sick." I say to her, with a smile.

I dash off with Hans. We were about to get into the car when...

"Wait!" Carly calls out to me, and she runs over.

"What is it?" I ask her.

"Um, your rice balls…" Carly says. "I wrapped them for you, so please take them with you."

"Uh…" I say, quite surprised.

"I did make them for you…" Carly says, and I totally feel my heart skip a beat.

"Okay…" I say, with a blush on my face. "if you're so desperate for me to try them, I'll take them. You should be grateful that I'm deigning to eat them."

I carefully take the rice balls and tell her, "I'll let you know what I think of them later."

"I'll be looking forward to it." She says to me.

Hans and I get in the car, and he drives off. I sigh romantically as I look at the basket with love. She did this for me… However, what I didn't know was that we were about to get the heat put on us...

* * *

><p>The next day, I'm working in my office, when Hans comes in, a frantic look on his face.<p>

"Sieg!" He shouts, a little flustered.

"Hans, what's going on?" I ask him; judging by the look on his face, it's not good...

"Um, this…" Hans says, before handing me a gossip magazine. I go pale at what it says.

"Prince caught the morning after! Spent the night with a Nobel Michel pastry chef?!"

There's a picture of me sleeping on Carly's bed… Oh, no...

"Oh, crap…" I mutter, gripping my face in annoyance. "Make arrangements to get her a room here at the castle. Considering that her picture was in that article, it's likely media might swarm her house and even the bakery."

"Yes, Sieg." Hans tells me.

"Also, bring her here when you find her." I tell him.

"Yes, Sieg," Hans says to me in reply. "But now you have a meeting on the issue, to figure out a way to deal with this."

I was afraid of that.

I walk out into the hall only to see the other princes, including Aslan and Ivan, standing in the hall, looking at me.

"What's going on, Sieg?" Hayden asks me.

I dodge the question and I run to my meeting.

The meeting goes on for what seemed to me to be hours. I think that the best way to deal with this media hype is to just tell the truth; truth may be stranger than fiction, but at least I can make things clear. I don't know why I'm feeling so uneasy about this… Maybe my instincts are telling me something bigger is going on...

After the meeting is over, I go walking around the palace to find Carly and see if she's okay; I soon see her… And I spot her having tea with Aslan like they're old friends.

Aslan's gaze looks over Carly's shoulder, and he says, "Oh, here he is."

I storm over to the two of them and I shout, "Carly!"

She turns around to me, and I make my way over there.

"Sieg!" She says, in reply; she seemed happy to see me.

"Could I borrow her for a moment?" I ask Aslan.

"Sure, go ahead." He says to me, almost as if nothing was going on between them.

I scowl, grab a hold of Carly's arm and forcefully pull her away from Aslan; I say, "Come on."

"W-W-" Carly begins.

I drag her back into the room she was given and I slam the door; I give her a glare, and she shrinks back.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I ask her.

"What am I doing…?" She asks in reply; as if she doesn't know...

"Casually having tea with Aslan! Have you forgotten your place?!" I ask her; what am I saying…?

"Sorry…" She says to me, and I calm down.

"Geez, I can't take my eyes off you," I say, a little annoyed. "I brought you to this castle to keep you by my side…"

I know that sounds a little possessive...

"Sieg?" Carly asks me.

"Quit being so cordial with the other princes." I tell her.

"Wha?" Carly asks.

"What, you got a problem with that? You're here thanks to me." I say to her.

"I-I know…" Carly says to me.

I give her a satisfied smirk.

"Um, that aside… was everything okay? You had that meeting…" Carly asks me.

I knew she'd be worried about that.

"Yeah, it's fine. We were just working out our response to the media." I tell her.

"I'm really sorry… this whole thing is my fault." She says to me.

I don't know about that...

"The real cause is that I paid you a visit," I tell her. "I'm the one who's sorry."

I bow my head to her, and I feel so down.

"Oh, no, you don't need to!" Carly tells me.

"Hans said he found you being chased by a reporter." I say.

"It was the reporter who took the photo, he was following me…" Carly informs me "Sieg… I won't cause this kind of trouble ever again. The lessons were fun and I liked accompanying you, but…"

I get what she's trying to say… but I don't like it.

"Are you saying we should stop?" I ask her.

"Yes…" She says to me.

"Which means that we shouldn't see each other again." I state.

This isn't right! I shouldn't let some stupid tabloid dictate who I associate myself with! Especially when it comes to love...

"Yes…" She says to me.

I sigh, and say, "You're right."

Carly hesitates to reply, but I say, "But that doesn't mean I'll give in."

"Beg your pardon?" Carly asks.

"Why should some tawdry rag dictate what we do?" I ask her.

I take her hand and I bring it to my lips.

"I will protect you," I say to her. "All you need to do is trust me."

"Sieg…" Carly says to me, her face going red, and she looks down.

I pat her on the head and said, "Anyway, if anything happens, you tell me."

"I will… Thank you." Carly says to me.

I smile before beginning to leave the room. But then I remember something.

"Oh… I almost forgot." I say.

"What?" She asks me.

"My thoughts on the rice balls you made." I tell her.

"You are them? How were they?" Carly asks me.

"Maybe it's because you didn't compress them enough… but the shape wasn't so good and they fell apart as I was eating them." I tell her.

"Ugh…" Carly says, frustrated.

"But they tasted good." I say to her.

"Oh…" Carly says, feeling reassured.

"But you're definitely more suited to baking," I tell her; I mean it as a compliment. "While you're here you can make the dinner desserts."

"Huh, really?" Carly asks me, in surprise.

"That's all you can really do while you're here." I tell her.

"R-Right…" Carly says, with a blush on her face.

"Well, I'll leave it to you." I say to her before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>The next day, I'm coming out of my bedroom when I see Carly dash right past me.<p>

"Hey, Carly, no running in the castle corridors." I say to her; she skids to a halt and turns to me.

"Oh, Sieg…" Carly says; she looks really worried and I pick up on this.

"What's going on? You look even more frazzled than usual." I tell her; she's definitely got something on her mind.

"Um…" Carly says, hesitating.

However, I understand; something must have happened.

"Did something happen? Tell me." I say.

"Sieg, I'm going back to the store." She tells me.

WHAT?!

"Huh? What are you saying? Things just started to calm down." I tell her.

"I know, but on the news I saw that the store closed…" Carly says to me.

"So?" I ask her; of course the shop would close when media hypes go on like this...

"So I have to go back." She tells me, before turning to leave.

"Wait!" I shout, and then I grab her arm. "It's not like you going back there will solve anything, will it? It might cause even more problems."

"Maybe…" Carly says. "But I can't just hide when everyone else is getting the brunt of it! I'm going."

Definitely not a coward when she says something like that. But...

"And if I say I won't let you?" I ask her.

"Sieg… I'm sorry… you've been kind enough to hide me in the castle… but I can't stay here like this…" She says to me.

"I see…" I say, before sighing sadly. "That's just like you."

I turn my face away and grumble a bit, feeling like something bad was about to happen. I sigh and then say, "Hans will take you to the store."

"Thank you…" She says to me.

I'm so worried...

After Hans comes back from bringing Carly back to her workplace, I sigh sadly, before telling Hans, "Hans, gather up a lot of flour and other supplies for the store."

"Intending on giving the store that much supplies as a way to apologize to Miss Carly?" Hans asks me; he knows me so well...

"Yes, and have a bodyguard watching out for her at the store… Meanwhile… I'm going to be really busy." I say to him.

"What's your intention, Sieg?" Hans asked.

"I don't know what I'm going to do… Should I keep her close to me or should I push her away…?" I mutter, as I try to resolve an inner conflict.

I start getting back to work on the Nobel Expo, but my mind is conflicting on everything. I decide to look into this incident… It just seems too strange… Why would a stupid gossip magazine cause a store to lose all of its suppliers like that?

The next day, I'm working when Hans comes in and says, "Miss Carly came by to thank you."

"Really?" I say, surprised.

"Carly wanted to thank you for the help." He tells me.

I sigh sadly, and I say, "It's my fault for what's going on, so… It was the least I could do. Did you tell her I'm busy?"

"Yes, I did." Hans says to me.

I start looking into the issue regarding Carly's store; I work off my butt trying to figure this out. I learn the name of the reporter Jake, and as I have detectives looking around all over the place for clues regarding Carly's store, I find a few bits and pieces here and there. I still think I need to make some distance between Carly and I… If I get any closer to her than it would cause an even worse scandal...

That night, I hear something going on outside, and I hear Carly's name be spoken.

"Um… if Sieg's busy, then could you pass it on to him?" I hear Carly ask and then I go over to investigate. I see Carly with the bodyguard and Hans.

"Yes. I'm terribly sorry, but he's busy today too…" Hans says.

"Hans, it's fine." I say, making myself known.

"Sieg!" Carly says to me, delighted.

"You came to thank me?" I ask her; why would she…?

"Yes. Thank you so much for the supplies, and for the bodyguard," Carly says. "Thanks to you the store can open again and I can go about my life normally."

"I'm glad to hear it." I say, albeit honestly, I feel really horrible about dragging her into this mess to start with.

"Yes… so here. I brought you a cake I made." She says to me, and then she hands me a cake in a box.

"I see. I don't need it." I say to her.

What right do I have to eat her cake? I'm the one at fault for starting this scandal in the first place… She made it with love for me, but I can't eat it. NOt after all of the crap I've given her...

"Huh…?" Carly says to me.

"I'm to blame for the trouble you and your store went through," I say. "I was just doing my duty."

I hate telling her this… But it has to be done… for her sake...

"Sieg, what's the matter?" Carly asks me, looking worried. "It seems like something's wrong…"

"Nothing's wrong. Anyway, stop coming to the castle." I tell her; I hate pushing her away, but if I don't...

"But…" Carly protests.

"I've been busy lately. I don't have the time to look after you," I tell her, in a business-like tone. As much as I want her close to me… I can't do it. "I'll make sure I don't disrupt your life any further, and to stop this getting even more out of control, you need to stop coming here."

"I understand." She says, albeit she sounds really sad.

"Hans, take the cake." I say to Hans.

"Y-Yes…" He says, but he sound nervous.

I stalk off, feeling horrible… I hate doing this to her...

* * *

><p>The next day, the other princes and I are in the courtyard of the castle during a live interview regarding the Nobel Expo. I myself am sort of tuning out for the moment.<p>

"It must be a lot of hard work?" One reporter asks.

"Yes, but things are going well thank to the efforts of the government and crew." Hayden says to the reporters.

Kuon speaks up and says, "This is an important Expo for strengthening relations between our countries… We want this to be a success."

"This is the first time Sanct Sybil and Shaharazal are participating. Has it been tough for you?" Another reporter says.

"Not at all. I'm just focused on fulfilling my role as my kingdom's representative." Ivan says.

"Everyone's taken good care of us with no problems." Aslan says.

Everyone's putting on a good act, as per protocol, but now I'm up next.

"Sieg, just as the preparations are coming to a head… you're also rumored to be turning up the heat in your personal life." Another reporter asks.

I was afraid that would come to pass...

I hesitate to respond, but I soon think up an idea.

"We request that you keep all questions related to the Expo." Oliver says; he's trying to cover for me.

"Prince, Sieg, about that girl…" The reporter ignores Oliver.

"Excuse me, but…" Oliver begins, but I put my hand up to stop him. I've decided on a few things here and now.

"It's fine, Oliver. This is a good opportunity for me to explain," I begin. Time to set things straight. "The girl in question is a talented pastry chef, so I asked her to give me lessons in baking. That day, she was ill and missed our lesson. I went to see how she was. That's all. But I regret that my careless actions stirred up the press. I apologize for the redouble I caused."

"You seemed very close in the photos." The reporter pointed out.

"Those photos were taken to make that appear to be the case." I reply; albeit I wish I was telling it like it is...

"So you're saying that this girl is not your lover?" The reporter replies.

I wish that were true, but I love her, and I want to make sure that's clear...

"She's not," I begin. "But, she's very important to me."

If Carly's watching, she's probably surprised and confused...

The reporters are in an uproar as I say this.

"Prince Sieg, what do you mean by that…!" One reporter asks.

"I'm sorry! This interview is over!" Hans says, getting in between me and the reporters, and I being to walk off.

"Prince Sieg, just one more word!" A reporter asks.

I stop as I have my back to the camera.

"Let me take this opportunity to say…" I say, before turning back to the camera and I glare into it. "That I won't let anyone intimidate her or threaten her livelihood again. I will protect that girl with my life!"

I sharply glare into the camera; I know this is unbecoming of royalty, but what else can I do? That bastard Ulrich is the one behind this...

A few hours after that, Hans disappears and Zain III is taking over for him. Where did that guy go…? Maybe he went to talk to Carly...

Hans comes back a while later, and I pull him aside.

"Hans, where have you been?" I ask him, giving him the skunk eye.

"Um, I… I was running errands… for the kitchen." Hans says to me.

"Very funny Hans," I say. "I know you're lying! Where did you go?!"

"I went to see Miss Carly…" Hans admitted.

"You did what?!" I ask him.

"I didn't like the idea of Miss Carly misunderstanding your actions and behavior, so I went to check up on her." Hans explained.

"Of course Carly would be confused…" I mutter. "Hans, arrange a normal car for tonight after sunset. We're going back to DresVan… And I'm taking Carly with me."

"What's the problem, Sieg? Going to investigate the issue yourself?" Hans asks.

"You're right on the money," I say. "And if I leave Carly here on her own, she'd be in danger."

"I hope Miss Carly comes along with us," Hans says, before going "I really hope so."

"I'll go get her very late at night," I say. "Around three A.M. or something around then. Arrange the car for then, Hans."

"Understood." Hans says to me before I get back to work.

Later, I get some sleep so that way I can rest up for the trip back home; I'm so worried about Carly, so I decide to just tell her how I felt about her.

At around quarter of three in the morning, I wake up, get on my casual clothes, the leather jacket and shirt, and I wear mostly dark clothes to blend in with the night colors. I have Hans drive me to her apartment building and I get out of the car. I get a glimpse of Carly at her window, and she seems to have seen me. As much as I want to play 'Romeo and Juliet' right now, this isn't the time or place for it.

I make it into the apartment building with no problem and I soon run to Carly's room; I quietly knock on the door, and Carly opens the door. Seeing it was me, she silently beckoned me inside and she then shut the door before turning on the lights.

"Sorry to drop by unexpectedly." I tell her.

"Sieg…" Carly says, avoiding looking me in the eyes. She must be happy to see more or something...

"So Hans came to speak with you." I say to her.

"He told you?" Carly asks me.

"More like I forced it out of him." I say, with a smirk and a chuckle.

"He told me that he thought you'd catch on." She tells me with a giggle.

"He's terrible at hiding things from me." I say to her in reply.

I take her hands into mine and hold them gently, while beginning to explain things to her.

"I'm sorry for confusing you." I tell her.

"No…" Carly says, forgiving me.

"I couldn't decide whether or not I should involve you anymore," I tell her. "I tried to cut ties with you so many times. But… the more I tried to distance myself, the more I ended up thinking about you."

The old saying goes "absence makes the heart grow fonder", and I guess that applies here.

"You're a real nuisance." I tell her, blushing.

"Is that… supposed to be a compliment?" Carly asks me.

Crap, put my foot in my mouth again...

"I really tried," I said, letting go of her hands and stroking her cheek slowly. "It means you're that important to me…"

"Sieg…" Carly says, her eyes widening and her face red.

"I won't lie to you or hide things from you again," I say, then admit my feelings to her. "I want to be with you."

"I… I can't sever ties with you either." She says to me.

My heart's aflutter at this.

"Does that mean you want to be with me too?" I ask her, hoping for the answer to be 'yes'.

"Yes." Carly says to me.

"Okay… then… Pack you bags." I say to her.

"Huh…?" Carly says, quite surprised. "Why?"

"Why? Because we're going out," I tell her, she hesitates. "Hurry up. If you won't do it yourself, I'll do it for you."

I start pulling out her drawers, and I start trying to put some things together.

"W-Wait that's…!" Carly starts, a little freaked out.

"What, is there something you don't want me seeing?" I ask her. I don't know what's gotten into her.

"Y-Yes! It's rude to just go through a girl's drawers!" She says to me, stammering.

"Then get ready!" I begin, moving away.

"First off, tell me where we're going!" Carly says to me.

Oh, right...

"I want you to come home to DresVan with me." I tell her.

"Huh…?" Carly asks me. "To DresVan?!"

"Yeah." I say with a nod.

"B-But why?" Carly asks me.

My expression hardens and I say, "That gossip article was set up by someone within DresVan."

"Who… It was that cockroach Ulrich, wasn't it?!" Carly says to me.

"You're right." I say to her; she catches on fast.

"But the reporter, Jake, was the one who took the photos…" Carly says, crossing her arms.

"The reporter that chased you? Hans told me about that," I begin. "And Ulrich bribed him into it."

"Why would Ulrich…" Carly begins, trailing off.

"I still don't know what his goal is," I begin. "He probably wanted to create a scandal so my father would lose faith in me. On the other hand, he may have just wanted to hurt me by ruining my relationship with you."

"That cockroach… That's horrible!" She says.

"Ulrich was also responsible for blackballing your store." I say to her.

"That explains why our suppliers shut us out…" Carly says to me, thinking hardly.

"Anyway, now I know that he's up to something, I've decided to head back discreetly." I say to her.

"And you're taking me with you…?" Carly asks me, confused.

"Ulrich has information on you. If I left you here alone, then you'd be in danger," I say, before smiling. "I told you I would protect you."

"Sieg…" Carly says, her eyes alight.

"During the TV interview, I made two choices. I made up about my mind about you and I made a war declaration with Ulrich," I say, after explaining everything. "Will you come with me?"

"I'll go with you to DresVan." Carly says to me, and then we start to pack her bags. I helped her pack a few days' worth of clothing, her toiletries, and everything else.

We leave her house together, and she asks, "We're not going by car?"

"Part way is going to be by car, but not the normal limousine," I say to her, before looking towards a normal car. "I brought a car that won't attract attention."

"I see…" Carly says to me, looking at the car in surprise. I decide to tease.

"What, it's not up to your standards?" I ask her, teasingly.

"Of course it is." Carly says.

"Right, you're the girl show as gonna turn up at the castle in that indistinct car." I tell her, referring to the first time we met.

"Oh, are you talking about the day we first met?" She asks me.

"Pfft…" I start to laugh.

"Quit it!" Carly says to me, going red in the face.

We get in the car, with Hans in the drivers' seat and Carly and I in the back seat.

"Hi, Hans." Carly says, being polite as always.

"Let's go." I say.

"Okay." Hans says, and then he starts the car, and begins to move.

I hear Hans sniveling and sniffing a bit, and Carly asks, "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just emotional." Hans says to us.

"Emotional?" Carly asks.

"Yes, that you're coming with us," Hans says. "Of course, I always believed you would. But now that you're really here I can't help crying."

I roll my eyes and then I say, "Butlers aren't supposed to show their emotions openly in front of other people."

"I know but I can't help it…" Hans says to me, before sniffling again.

"Here Hans, use my handkerchief." Carly says, handing her handkerchief over to Hans.

Hans takes it, and says, "Thanks."

"Just focus on driving." I say to him.

"Will we be going all the way to DresVan in this car?" Carly asks me.

"No." I tell her.

We make it to the train station and we get out of the car.

"So we're commuting the rest of the way by train?" She asks me.

"Yeah, it's easier than going by car," I explain. "We won't stand out as much in a crowd."

"Sieg, I've reserved a carriage for you in first class." Hans says to me.

"Thanks…" I say; he's a great butler.

We go to our first-class carriage together, when...

"Oh! Is that you, Sieg?" Someone shouts to me; I turn around and see a DresVanese aristocrat coming our way.

"Crap, he's a DresVanese aristocrat…" I whisper to Carly.

"I've been staying with a relative in Nobel Michel. I'm just on my back to DresVan, but traveling by sleeper train feelings like a vacation in itself." He says to me.

"I'm sorry, but I think you've mistaken me for someone else." I say, trying to act.

""huh? But your voice is strikingly similar to Prince Sieg's…" The aristocrat says, positive its me.

"I-I said you're wrong! Stop bugging' me!" I say, using some language I'm not used to. This would probably fool him.

I turn my back and stride away; Carly runs to catch up to me and I ask her, "Did I fool him?"

"Hm, I don't know…" Carly says, looking a bit worried.

"In any case, we probably shouldn't be in first class…" I say; we'd be spotted too easily by hanging around in there...

"I'm sorry for not thinking straight… First class was a bad idea," Hans says to us. "My carriage is in second class. You'll be less easily recognized there."

"I can't imagine you traveling in second class, Sieg." Carly says to me.

"What about you, Carly…?" Hans asks me.

"I'll travel with Sieg in second class." Carly says to me.

"Okay…" Hans says.

"Well, of course you would. Let's go." I say, while putting my hand on her shoulder and bringing her to the second class carriage.

Carly and I see there's only one bed in the second class carriage. She's frozen and I just clear my throat, and say, "Ready to take a shower?"

"Huh?! No, that would be…" Carly begins, a little nervous.

"So you don't want to?" I ask her; doesn't she want to get clean?

"No, I want to, I…" Carly says, flustered.

"What are you getting so flustered about?" I ask her. "I'm offering to let you go first."

She sighs in relief and then she says, "I-If that's what you mean then… you go first."

"What are you talking about?" I ask her.

"Um…" Carly begins, but she blushes. "Nothing! Please, you go ahead."

"Okay." I say, before I go into the bathroom and shower in there.

I come out of the shower and I say, "Your turn."

"Wha?! Why are you naked?!" She squeaks, before turning her back away.

"Whoops," I say, embarrassed. "I forgot; force of habit. Sorry…"

I go back into the bathroom and I return wearing a dressing gown, and drying my hair off with a towel.

"What?" I ask her; she's staring at me.

"Nothing…" Carly says, and then she takes her turn in the shower.

I begin reading a book while sitting on the bed, Carly soon comes out. I raise my eyes from the book, and she looks hesitant. She also looks cute.

"Uh…" I say.

"What is it?" Carly asks me.

"No… it's nothing," I say, my face going red. I stand up, and go over to the wall. "You sleep here."

"What about you?" Carly asks me.

"Right… I'll…" I begin, and I think something up. "I'll just stand here and read my book."

"So, you're not going to rest up until we reach DresVan?" Carly asks me.

"I guess so." I say.

"You can't do that…!" Carly says to me.

"Just hush and take me up on my offer." I tell her.

Her stubborn side comes out, and she stands up. She turns to the door and says, "No, I'll ask if they have a spare mattress."

"No, if you do that, you'll draw attention to us." I say to her.

"But…" Carly says, feeling worried about me.

I sigh, but I smile at the same time and I say, "It's stupid to argue about this… It's fine. We'll both sleep in the bed."

"Uh…" Carly says, a bit hesitant.

I climb into bed and then turn to face her, before saying, "Come on."

"Okay…" Carly says, before reluctantly coming into the bed, before getting beneath the covers.

She brushes against my arm, and I feel my heart rate going up and going crazy; I love having her this close to me.

She stares at the ceiling while I come closer to her.

"S-Sieg… I-I…" Carly stammers.

I give her cheeks a light pinch and she says, "Wha?"

"Don't look like that. I'll sleep over on that side," I say. "It's the most logical option. Don't worry, I'm not gonna try anything. Get some sleep, even though it's only for a short while. We'll be busy once we arrive in DresVan."

I turn my back to her and settle down, and Carly says, "Good night."

However, a few seconds later, and I can't fall asleep.

"Can't sleep?" I ask her.

"Yeah…" Carly says to me.

"I thought you could fall asleep anywhere." I say to her, teasing.

"Normally…" Carly says to me.

"Really?" I ask her.

"Um…" Carly begins, her face red. "Shall we chat for a bit?"

"Chat? About _what_?" I ask her.

"Right… Oh, what book were you reading earlier?" Carly asks me.

"A cookbook from Shaharazal. I borrowed it from Aslan." I reply to her.

"Ooh… from Shaharazal?" Carly says to me. "The food there is quite different from here, right?"

"Yeah, it's interesting how much spice they use in everything," I say to her. "Once I've mastered it, I'll make some for you."

"Hehe… you really do love cooking." Carly says to me.

"Yeah, I do. There's nothing like that feeling of happiness you get from steadily working and following the instructions to create something delicious." I say to her.

"How old were you when you first started cooking?" Carly asks me.

"Hmm… I've been told I made my first rice balls when I was three years old." I say to her; it was such a long time ago, so I'm not sure whether or not that's accurate.

"That's amazing." Carly says to me.

"My grandfather, King Joshua, wasn't very good at cooking. I think he wasn't happy about it, so he asked my grandmother to give their kids and grandkids special training in cooking." I explain.

"Special training… that sounds tough." Carly says to me.

"Not even close; my grandmother was a great teacher," I say to Carly. "She taught us that if you cook with love, it'll naturally turn out to be delicious…"

"She sounds like an amazing woman." Carly says to me.

"Yeah," I reply back. I feel like Carly really understands me. "Why did you decide to become a pastry chef?"

"Me? It's kind of an embarrassingly simple reason…" Carly says to me, sheepishly. "I love sweets, and I love making them, and I thought it'd be nice if I could make some people happy too."

I stifle a laugh before Carly asks, "Are you laughing at me?"

"Sorry… it was even more simple than I expected." I say to Carly.

"S-Shut up…" Carly says to me, before blushing.

"That's just like you." I say to my beloved.

"Would you quit making fun of me..!" Carly sharply asks me.

She thinks I'm teasing her?

"I'm not making fun. I'm just saying that the frankness you have is completely expected of you." I said to her.

I turn to her and I trail a finger down her cheek. I just want to kiss her right now.

"Do you have any dreams for the future?" I ask her.

"Y-Yes. I'd like to gain experience and one day have my own store." She says to me; that sounds like something she'd be more than capable of… If I didn't have other ideas.

"Really…" I say.

"What about you?" Carly asks me.

"Me, I don't have any, to be honest…" I begin, with a sad look on my face. "I thought it was my stone-set destiny to become king and lead my kingdom."

"Are you serious?" Carly asks me.

"But… although I always had that belief, I feel like I've hit a brick wall; a barrier, if you will," I continue. I have so many doubts about myself. "I don't know whether or not I'm even _fit _to be king…"

"I know you'd do well," Carly says to me, getting my attention. "Becoming the leader of a whole kingdom must be difficult. I can't even imagine it myself. But you've been working so hard towards it, so… please don't lose heart."

"Carly…" I say to her; I was surprised to hear that out of her.

"It's the same as cooking," She begins to explain. "Prepare properly, follow the instructions, and you'll create something amazing."

"Haha… You say some funny things…" I say, laughing a bit, and I grow a big smile. He reassurance really makes me feel better.

"But I wonder what Ulrich is up to…" Carly says.

"DresVan's changed since he became the King's aide." I say to her.

"I heard there's a lot of extravagant parties and large-scale construction going on." I say to her.

"Yeah, and then he set up that gossip scandal on us…" I begin.

"And cut off our supplies at my work…" Carly continues.

"He must have some sort of aim." I say.

"Yeah…" Carly says, looking a little upset.

"I hope to find out what that aim is by coming back to DresVan…" I say.

"You found out this much just in Nobel Michel, so I'm sure you'll find out more in DresVan." Carly says to me.

Her encouragement and reassurance really is a blessing to have.

"When you say that, I really feel like I can do it." I say to her.

"Really?" Carly says, her face lighting up.

"Yeah… You're always so optimistic, it really helps me…" I say with a smile, and stroke the back of Carly's head.

I being to pull her head towards me and I intend on kissing her on the lips, when...

The train screeches to a halt, and Carly is thrown on top of me.

"Eek!" "Argh?!" We each shout.

Carly is on top of me, but it's not her face…

"Eeeeeek! I-I'm sorry!"

Her chest… It had to be that…

"It's okay…" I say, my face red; she leaps up and turns away from me, and I try to calm her down.

"Carly… Don't worry about it. It's not like it's that big a deal. Besides, you didn't mean for that to happen, anyway…" I say.

She turns around to me, looking angry, and she's about to open her mouth, when we hear a commotion outside the carriage.

"It's noisy out there…" I state.

"What's going on out there…?" Carly asks, forgetting our earlier issue.

She and I look at each other before going out to check out what's going on.

"There's a fire in the last carriage!" "Everyone off the train!"

There are people running down the corridor to escape the train.

"T-This is bad…!" Carly says; no need to say that to me twice...

"We need to leave, too!" I say, snatching Carly's hand.

"Yea…" Carly says, in agreement with me.

We start going towards the exit, but we're squashed between the rest of the passengers.

"Oh!" Carly says, before trying to leave my side.

"Don't let go of my hand." I say, trying to pull her back to me.

"But there's a child!" Carly protests.

She rushes over to the girl and says, "Come on, let's get off the train together. Your mommy must be waiting outside."

"Okay…" The little girl says.

"Sieg! Help me with her." Carly asks me.

"Okay!" I say; as if I would ignore a child in need...

I pick up the young girl in my arms and I tell Carly, "You follow behind me."

"Right." Carly says.

Carly and I make our way to the exit when Carly and I get separated.

I make it off the train, but Carly isn't nearby; I bring the child back to her parents, but I make a break for it before they can thank me.

"Hans!" I shout; as always, Hans is at my beck and call.

"Sieg, I can't find Miss Carly!" Hans said.

"I know that! I've got a bad feeling about this… I'll call her phone." I say; I call her cellphone, but I get nothing out of it, and I groan in annoyance with the 'no-reception' message that I get from her.

"Nothin, Sieg?" Hans asks me.

"Right," I say. "Hans, I need your help. We need to look for places with low reception…"

Hans and I start working at it and I overhear some cops saying something about the fire being arson, rather than an accident. If it was arson, then… this is bad.

Hans and I remain as anonymous as always; as the prince, I'm able to pull these sort of strings in secret, so I'm good as far as privacy goes. I soon find one place in DresVan that has no reception… She's probably underground… I need to find her.

I run over to the spot where Carly's signal disappeared to, and I soon see two large thugs surrounding Carly, and they had a knife to her neck; she looked so scared, her eyes were squeezed shut, and everything.

"Carly!" I holler, and then the group turns to me.

"Sieg!" Carly squeals, happy to see me.

"It's Prince Sieg! What the hell?!" One of the two thugs shouted.

"Tch… I'm not getting' caught. Let's get outta here!" The second thug said, before making run for it.

"You there, stop!" I shout, but the thugs run off at full speed. Crap, they got away...

"Carly! Are you okay?!" I shout, as I run over to her, losing my air.

"Y-Yes… I think so…" Carly says to me; I look and see her neck bleeding.

"Your neck's bleeding." I say, looking at her.

"It's just where they held the knife." Carly says, in reassurance.

"Did those men hurt you?" I ask; I was going to kill those two of they did!

"I'm okay. They didn't get to lay a finger on me." Carly says, albeit she was still a bit shaken up.

"Thank goodness…" I say; I breath a huge sigh of relief I hug her tightly to me.

I murmur to her in a pained voice, "I'm sorry you had to go through that terrifying experience… I was sick with worry when I realized you'd been taken. To lose you after I'd promised to protect you…"

I'm just spilled out how relieved, yet how angry I was at myself; I love her so much...

"Sieg…" Carly says to me. "I was thinking about you the whole time…"

She puts her arms around me, and I tighten my own in response to it. She pulls her head away from me chest, and I ask, "What is it?"

I look at her in worry, but she replies to me, "N-Nothing, I just…"

She trails off and looks down; Carly must have been so scared.

"You okay?" I ask her.

"Y-Yes… I've calmed down now." She says to me.

"Good." I say, breathing a sigh of relief.

"By the way… how did you find me?" Carly asks me.

"You have your cell phone on you, right?" I ask her. "When I looked for areas with no reception, this place came up."

"I thought only the police can do that sort of thing?" Carly asks me.

Is she forgetting I'm the prince of this kingdom?

"Are you forgetting who I am? This is my kingdom, so I have my ways." I say.

"Aren't you going to draw attention to yourself by pulling strings like that?" Carly asks me.

"Calm down; I made double, if not triple sure that I was anonymous. Hans helped, too," I said to her, with a proud smile. However, my expression becomes serious. "Turns out the fire on the train was just a decoy. I'm sure it was arranged by Ulrich in over to kidnap you…"

"I… met that cockroach." Carly says to me.

"What?" I ask, in surprise.

"He came to the room where I was being held," Carly begins to explain. "He admitted that he was responsible for the scandal and the grudge against the store. When I asked him what his aim was, he said 'destruction'…"

"Destruction…" I Mutter, before tightening my fists. "Does he mean political destruction…?"

That bastard! Carly's right in calling him a 'cockroach'. She told me once that roaches, along with mosquitos, mice, ants, and flies are grouped together as 'vermin' by bakery standards. So, she essentially called Ulrich 'scum', which, honestly, if he's going to destroy DresVan from within itself, fits.

"I might the right decision coming home. I'm going to the castle," I say to Carly. "Will you come with me?"

"Yes…" Carly says, with a nod.

I have Hans pick us up and we drive to the castle immediately. With Carly and Hans in tow, I walk through the corridors and I am angrier than a hornet right now.

"Prince Sieg! Pricne Sieg's back!" "Prince Sieg, welcome home!"

The majority of the staff greets us warmly, but some of the others huddle together and whisper to one another. I caught that.

"Seems like Ulrich's men are here too…" I mutter.

"So that's why…" Carly says, trailing off.

"Hans, ask the King if I can meet with him at once. Tell him it's an emergency." I order Hans.

"Understood." Hans says, before rushing off to find my father, while I drag Carly along by her hand.

"Come with me." I say to her.

I bring her into my office at the castle.

"This is…" Carly says, asking about this room.

"My office," I say to her. "A long line of princes have used this room. My grandfather included."

"Mind if I sit on the sofa?" Carly asks me.

"Not at all…" I state, and Carly sits down.

"Ooh, it's so soft and comfy. I can feel how high-end and expensive it is." Carly says, impressed.

I smile and say, "Geez, you're easy to please."

We hear a knock at the door, and Hans says, "Excuse me."

He opens the door and enters.

"Will the King see me now?" I ask him.

"I pleaded but he said he can't see you." Hans informs me.

"What?" I ask, incredulous. What kind of a king doesn't have an audience with his own son? "Did you tell him its urgent?"

"I did," Hans says. "But… He said that he can't speak with you since you're supposed to be in Nobel Michel right now."

"That's stupid!" I say, before gnawing at my lip. Something's wrong; no doubt. "What the hell! I'll go see him myself!"

"Sieg! Wait!" Hans shouts after me.

"Sieg!" Carly shouts, before running after me.

I storm into the King's chamber and throw the doors open in anger. I see my father with that bastard Ulrich with him at his side.

"Ulrich!" I holler, and I begin to charge at him, but Hans holds me back.

"Sieg, calm yourself! You are in the presence of the King!" Hans says.

Crap… He's right.

"Tch…" I say, and then my father begins to speak.

"Sieg. WHy did you ignore my instructions and come back here?" My father asks me; he sounds a little vacant...

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," I begin. "But there's something I had to tell you."

"Something so important that you ignore my orders?" My father asks me.

"Yes…" I begin. Darn right! Of course it's more important that following orders! "It's about that man, Ulrich."

I point to Ulrich, and then state, "That man… is trying to lead this kingdom into ruin!"

"What?" My father begins, irately.

"While I was in Nobel Michel, I caught rumors of political unrest here in DresVan. Ulrich led you into this, didn't he?!" I ask. "Ulrich also engineered the scandal about me… Then damaged this girl's store, and even kidnapped her…"

I throw a concerned glance at sweet Carly before glaring fiercely at Ulrich.

"I won't forgive you for this." I tell Ulrich.

"Ahahahaha," Ulrich laughs chillingly. "You came back all of a sudden to start spouting this nonsense? Me? Destroy the kingdom? You're quite… funny."

Hearing Ulrich say such things makes me very upset; I trust Carly, and I know she recognizes this bastard.

"Lying, verminous cockroach! You said so yourself!" She shouts, and I look at her in surprise. "Your highness, please listen to me. I was kidnapped at this man's orders! And I heard with my own ears that he wanted 'destruction'!"

"Oh? What do you think you're talking about, girl?" Ulrich asks. "That is utter nonsense."

"Sieg… you and this girl…" My father asks, and I then speak up.

"This girl…" I say, and then I put one of my arms around her shoulders and I pull her close to me. "Is the most important person in the world to me!"

That's essentially saying, 'Carly, I love you', but I can't hide anything right now.

"Sieg…" Carly says to me.

My father's eyes shoot open and he hollers, "What?! I will not approve of your association with ordinary citizens!"

What the hell is he shouting?! His own _mother _was of ordinary birth, and she was an amazing queen.

"What are you talking about?" I shout. "Marriage between royalty and ordinary citizens is legally accepted. The previous queen was of ordinary birth, and she was an amazing person."

"No means no. Associating with citizens will have a negative impact on this kingdom!" My father shouts.

Ulrich places a hand on the King's shoulder and says, "If you'll allow me to speak, Your Highness? I said that Prince Sieg must stay in Nobel Michel. And that he should remain there for the sake of the kingdom."

"Yes. It's exactly as you predicted." My father says.

"What? Predicted…?" I begin; this is probably a clue I can use to overthrow this bastard. "You made sure I didn't receive any information about the commemoration ceremony…"

"This is all for the sake of the nation." The King said… He's vacant. Something's definitely wrong...

"Your Highness…" I begin.

"Normally, I would strip you of your title and expel you from the royal family. But I'm giving you a chance," He begins, then glares at Carly with bloodshot eyes. "Cut all ties with this girl at once. Sweat to me that you will never see her again."

I bite my lip; sever ties with Carly? Forget about her? That's impossible! I could never do that… Not after everything that's happened.

"Ngh…" I say; what am I going to do? It's either heartbreak or a life-changing event… But I know what I need to do. If I deliberately play into Ulrich's hands, then maybe I can plan a coup and get my father to snap out of this daze of his...

"She's irreplaceable to me… I cannot do that." I say to my father.

"Are you disobeying an order from your King?" My father asks me.

I clench my fist… What choice do I have? I give my gather a grim gaze.

"Sieg…" Carly begins. She turns to me with a smile. "Sieg. I'm fine. Please stay a member of the royal family. It's clear that there are things you must do as a prince. Please fulfill those responsibilities. If you were kicked out of the royal family because of me…"

Carly's saying all of this for my sake… What a sweet girl. But I can't let her go.

"Carly… but I…" I start, but she stops me.

"It's okay," She says to me; she turns to my father and bows. "Well… excuse me."

Not on my watch she won't! I grab her arm and pull her back to me.

"Stop." I say to her.

"Sieg…" Carly says to me, surprised.

I whisper into her ear, "I won't let you go again."

"But…!" She's about to protest, but I stop her.

"Just be quiet," I say to her, before turning back to my father. I grip her hand tightly "Your Highness… if by choosing her I'm to be expelled from the royal family, then so be it."

"Sieg… you…" My father begins.

"Hahaha… what a foolish choice." Ulrich says.

Not if I have anything to say. I smile defiantly at him, and I tell him, "Foolish…? Don't make me laugh. Now I know who's true and what's important."

"You're going to be defiant to the bitter end… You are banished from this castle!" My father shouts.

That's _exactly_ what I'm going for.

I run down the hallways quickly, with Carly's hand still in mine.

"Sief, please go back! If you go back now you might still be able to…" Carly begins, but I cut her off.

"It's fine like this." I say to her.

"No it's not! There's obviously something not right with the King. If you don't do something, you'll be playing right into Ulrich's hands!" Carly says to me.

"Exactly the point." I explain

"What…" Carly starts; she's confused as always.

"Sieg!" I hear Hans shout, and he runs up to me and Carly.

"Hans…" I say; he looks like he's in a panic.

"Sieg… do you really mean to leave?" Hans asks me.

"Yeah." I say with a nod.

"…" Hans hesitates to reply and he looks sullen.

"Don't look like that. It's fine with me. Thanks for everything." I say to Hans.

"No, I'm coming with you!" Hans insists.

"You're employed by the royal family. You stay here and continue your work." I tell Hans.

"Sieg… You have an idea, right?" Hans says to me.

He gives me a knowing eye; I knew I could trust Hans no matter what.

"You really know me, Hans." I say to him.

"Of course I do… I serve you every day." Hans says to me.

I chuckle, place a hand on Hans' shoulder, and then whisper into his ear, "I want you to stay here and report everything that happens. I'll gather information from outside."

"Understood." Hans says to me.

"I'm counting on you." I tell Hans.

"Just don't put yourself in danger." Hans says to me.

"Don't worry," I say. "If anything happened to me, I wouldn't be able to keep my promise to Carly."

"R-Right…!" Hans says, bright red.

"Let's get going." I say to Carly.

"Okay." Carly says, with a nod.

"Please be careful, both of you." Hans says.

Outside in the city, Carly and I are walking along and trying to find a place to lay low.

"Sieg, now what are we going to do?" Carly asks me.

"We need to find somewhere to lay low in town." I tell her.

"Law low…" Carly begins.

I spot a sign in a window in an open restaurant and I smirk; perfect.

"Right. This place will do." I say, pointing to the restaurant.

"It says 'Now hiring for live-in help'…?" Carly says, confused.

"That ensures us both food and board, killing two birds with one stone." I say.

"You mean you want to work here?" Carly asks me.

"I'm confident in my cooking skills… Is there a problem?" I ask Carly; this isn't like her.

"Is this really okay with you?" She asks me.

"Yeah. It's the perfect place for me to hide." I say.

We go inside the restaurant and we talk to the owner of the restaurant and try to get the work.

"Huh? Both of you?" She asks us, quite surprised. "Unfortunately, I'm only looking to hire one person…"

"Can't we change your mind about that?" I ask her; hopefully she doesn't recognize me.

"I'm afraid not… You're a handsome lad, and I'd really love to have you work here, but…" She begins, but… she stares at me, and her eyes widen. Oh, no… "I can't believe this… Are you… Prince Sieg…?!"

Crap… Busted like a bone...

"Argh!" Carly says, before shushing the landlady about this. "Could you possible keep that to yourself…?"

"Okay, I get it! I won't say anything," She says, and we both breath a huge sigh of relief. "This is so thrilling! I'm a huge fan of yours, Prince Sieg!"

"Thank you." I say in reply; this is a relief.

"But what on Earth is a prince doing here…?" She whispers.

"It's… an unusual situation." I say; as if I can tell her what's _really_ happening...

"Could it be an elopement… or an illicit love affair…?" She asks.

Well… the landlady isn't being _too_ farfetched with that, and I say, "Yeah, you could put it like that."

"Sieg?!" Carly says, a bit surprised.

"What, it's the truth." I say; the landlady isn't _too_ far off with this situation. It was because of my love for Carly that I ended up getting kicked out of the castle anyway.

"Alright, leave it to me! I'll hide the both of you. You can both stay in the live-in room." The landlady says.

That was good.

Carly sits down at the table after taking a bath, and she says to me, "We're lucky the landlady was such a big fan of yours…"

"I guess I have a load of good karma." I say with a shrug.

You know what they say: good things come to those who do good things… Um, was that right?

"…" Carly refuses to say anything and I grow concerned about her.

"What's that look for?" I ask her.

"It's nothing… Here, I'll get you some tea." Carly says, as she starts to make tea for us.

"Thanks." I say to her.

"Um, Sieg?" Carly asks me.

"What?" I ask.

"Are you really okay with leaving the castle?" She asks me; talk about flipping the script.

"I didn't expect that from you." I say to her in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Carly says back to me.

"You've been so optimistic up until now. Are you anxious?" I ask her.

"No… it's more that I'm worried for you," She says to me. "You've lost your life as a prince…"

So that's it… She's worried about me.

"I don't regret anything," I say to her. "I may have been kicked out of the castle… but I still have my pride as a royal. I love this kingdom more than anyone, and I'm concerned about its future. Now matter where I am or how I'm living… I was still raised as a royal."

"Sieg…" Carly says to me, quite surprised.

"Whether or not I have the title, there are still things I can do," I say to her. "It's because I met you…"

I gaze directly at her, and she blinks in surprise.

"I've stopped moaning about how unnecessary I am or how I'm just a title," I say to her. "You taught me that I have my own value as a person. I've found my strength in you."

There I go, confessing my love...

"Sieg…" Carly says to me.

"That's why I intend on facing up to them as my own man." I say to Carly.

"Sieg…" Carly says, her eyes filled with light. "I'll help you. I want to be by your side through all this."

"I thought you'd say that," I say, and we smile at one another. "Well, we should get to bed."

One room, one bed… I think I know what that means...

"You're right…" She says to me; I climb into bed.

"Come on, get in." I tell her.

She climbs on too, and lies with her back to me, but I know she's a little nervous; I ask, "Are you nervous?"

"Yes." She says to me.

I let out a snort of laughter and sit up before looking at her.

"Everything was left up int he air after the commotion on the train… Shall we continue where we left off?" I ask her, trying to tease her.

"C-Continue…" She says, a bit scared.

I stroke her cheek tenderly, and she squeezes her eyes shut. I then tell her, "Just kidding. I won't do anything until this has all been resolved."

"R-Right…" Carly says to me.

I lay my head on her shoulder, and I ask her, "But for now, can we at least do this?"

I wrap my arms around her from behind, and I pull her close to me. She closes her eyes; she's probably comfortable.

The next day, Carly is working in the restaurant; as a pastry chef, she's a dessert whiz, so she's doing fine.

I, on the other hand, am out investigating Ulrich; Carly insisted that I don't go out, but it's either be a chicken and not get any information, or be a lion and risk getting eaten.

I meet up with an acquaintance from the aristocracy; obviously, we meet in secret, so I hide out in a back alley and wait for him.

"Sieg…" Someone says, and I turn into the direction to that voice; it's my informant. "What's the problem? You're not one for secrecy unless it's important."

"It's about that Ulrich fellow. I'm looking for information on him," I say. "I have reason to believe he has ill intentions regarding DresVan."

"And I think you're right," My acquaintance says. "He's actually a stranger to the world of politics…"

After he explains everything and I absorb it all, I realize one thing: to save DresVan, we need to take Ulrich out of the picture and put me and Carly back _in._

"Thanks for your help," I say. "This is going to help save DresVan… any my love life."

"What was that about love?" My informant asks me.

"Um… Nothing." I say, before walking away and going back to the restaurant.

"I'm home." I say, as soon as I get back.

"Welcome back!" Carly says. "You look tired…"

"Nah, you're the one who's been working all day. You must be more tired." I say to her.

Believe it or not, it takes a lot of stamina and running around to be a pastry chef. It also takes a OCD-like mentality to get the work done and near paranoia to make sure consistency and sanitation are up to standards, or higher.

"Not at all… Did you find anything?" Carly asks me; straight to the point.

"I secretly met with an old acquaintance of mine from the aristocracy," I say to her. "Looks like Ulrich hasn't always been a part of the political world. He appeared out of nowhere and quickly became one of the King's aides."

"Aren't there people who find that odd?" Carly asks me; of course there are...

"There seem to be, but that man has a way of controlling people," I say. "It seems like all his detractors are charmed over to his side with the works of his 'prophecies'."

I use air quotes for that word for a reason.

"Prophecies?" Carly asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, his predictions often seem to come true," I say to her. "People are wondering whether Ulrich has some kind of special power, and they seem to really believe it."

"I doubt that's possible." Carly says.

"You're right about that," I say to her. "However, someone with a keen perception can see through people's personalities and motives pretty easily. However, when it's cloaked in mysterious circumstances, one can be convinced that it's some kind of divine prophecy."

"After listening to Ulrich's prophecies and seeing them come true, I guess the King was thoroughly convinced." Carly says.

"You're right about that. He was strangely vacant and irate." I say to Carly.

"He kept saying it was for the sake of the kingdom." Carly says to me.

"No doubt that's what Ulrich has been telling him," I say, my face falling. "He's being brainwashed…"

"That cockroach…" Carly says.

"Anything I say to the King right now is pointless; like leeches on a dead person," I say to Carly. "We need to take Ulrich down in order to snap the King out of this."

"Yes…" Carly says, nodding.

"I'll find out exactly what he's planning, and destroy his scheme," I say, clenching my fists. "Then I can open the King's eyes to Ulrich's brainwashing, and get DresVan back to normal. And then I'll make him accept you, too."

A few days pass; I come back into the room one day, and I see Carly baking, with a fruit cake with a big piece out of it on the table.

"You made a fruit cake?" I ask her.

"Yep." Carly says to me.

"It looks great." I say, looking at the cake on the table.

"It's a present," She says. "I've got a slice for you over there."

"A present?" I ask her; if not for me, then…?

She gives me the slice she set aside and she tells me about a request from the customer.

"And you're going to deliver it yourself?" I ask her.

"Yeah, I thought it'd be fine since it's so close." She says to me.

"…" I hesitate to say anything, but then… "Then I'll go with you."

"Really?" Carly asks me.

"I told you there's no way I can let you wander around by yourself," I say. "Knowing you, you'd probably get lost."

"Hehe, thank you." She says to me; looks like she knows I'm worried about you.

The next day, we go over to the woman's house, and we both come in; I'm in disguise to avoid a ruckus and this would just put us back at square one.

"Oh my, I'm so happy you came all the way here to bring me this!" The old lady said. "I don't have many young visitors these days. Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, I don't want to trouble you." She says to the old woman.

"Not at all, I'd love it if you'd stay and chat." The old woman insists.

"Well, if you insist." I say.

After she makes the tea, she says to us, "Take a seat on the sofa. Ooh, you two lovely young things are just the perfect couple, hehe."

Carly looks at me in embarrassment, but I'm just looking at the TV screen. I see my father chairing a conference, with Ulrich standing behind him like a shadow.

"Ulrich…!" Carly says, gripping her fists.

"Oh, yes, that Ulrich fellow… He's always shown next to the King these days," The old woman says. "And to think someone from the Bosch family would reappear in politics…"

This gets my attention.

"Bosch…?" Carly asks.

"You know who Ulrich is?!" I ask, thinking that this could be big.

"No… It's just with that silver hair, he must be one of the Bosch descendants. Everyone from the Bosch family has that silver hair." She says.

"Who is the Bosch family?" I ask the old woman.

"A very long time ago… when I was a little girl, the Boschs were a noble family who held a lot of power," She begins to explain. "But there was some dispute, and the King exiled them."

"Exiled by the King…" I say; this could be a clue to why Ulrich is doing this.

"Where is the Bosch family now?" Carly asks.

"They were driven off to some poor area near the border of Nerwan," The old woman explains to us. "I think it was a village named S… Swili."

"Swili…" I say, then kneel down next to the old lady. "Thank you so much for that story."

"Not at all! You can come to me anytime you want to hear stories about the past." The old woman says to us.

This woman might have just saved DresVan...

We leave the house, and Carly says, "Talk about good luck. I can't believe we got such important information on Ulrich from that old woman."

"It's all thanks to you," I say to Carly. "You were kind enough to deliver her your cake, and we ended up getting some completely unexpected information."

"It wasn't really my doing…" Carly says, being modest as always. "But this is surprising… He's the descendant of an exiled noble family…"

"Since it happened so long ago, only an older generation would know about it," I say; I can't be king if I don't know enough. "I still don't know enough about this country…"

I chew my lip, and then I say to Carly, "Carly."

"Yes?" Carly asks me.

"I'm going to the village of Swili… to Ulirch's hometown." I say to her.

The next day, we have made preparations to go to Swili; as always, I want Carly at my side so she doesn't get hurt or worse. I look at a map and I find Swili.

"It seems like it's quite a remote place," I say to Carly. "Pack accordingly."

"Okay." Carly says, with a nod.

We immediately hear a knock at the door and then I say, "Who is it?"

"Sieg? It's me." I hear someone say. I know that voice...

The door opens to reveal the most unexpected people ever.

"Hayden! And Oliver!" Carly says, delighted to see them.

"What are you doing here…?" I ask them, quite surprised.

"Ooh, a secret vacation, how romantic!" Oliver says, teasing.

That's Oliver for you… He's a joker even at the most tense of times...

"We were worried, so we came to check up on you." Hayden says to us.

"Hans told use where to find you." Oliver tells me.

"I see…" I say, and smile; I've never been happier to see my childhood friends with me.

"The others are worried, too." Oliver says, with a smile.

"Sorry to worry you, and for ditching my Expo work." I say to my friends.

"It's fine. You need to focus on what's going on here." Hayden says to me.

"It's all very strange," Oliver says. "The citizens have no clue that their prince was expelled from the castle."

"The town's packed with people for tomorrow's commemoration ceremony," Hayden says. "It's quite ironic."

We see the DresVanese flag out the window, and Hayden is looking at it in frustration.

"By the way, why are you two packing?" Oliver asks us.

"We…" I begin, and we explain everything from the scandal to the information we got yesterday.

"So you're going to this Ulrich guy's hometown?" Hayden asks us.

"But this family must resent the Lieben family. Won't it be dangerous?" Oliver asks.

"Will you take a guard?" Hayden asks.

"No, we'll be fine… we want to draw as little attention as possible." I say.

"Then take the car we've been using. It's a regular car," Hayden says to us. "It'll at least be helpful for you to have a driver."

"Yeah, he's right," Oliver says. "You've got Carly with you too, remember?"

"Let us do that much for you." Hayden tells us.

"Thanks…" I say, with a smile on my face.

We get in the car, and we start driving to Swili; this is going to be a long trip...

"Hayden and Oliver really helped us out." Carly says, with a smile.

"Yeah, we owe them." I say.

"They're great friends to come all the way out to DresVan to check on you." Carly says to me.

"Yeah… I've known the two of them and Kuon since I was a child." I say to her, telling her that I'm childhood friends with three of the other princes.

"So you all grew up together as princes to your kingdoms." Carly says, with a big smile.

"Yeah, I don't to do anything that would upset them." I explain to them.

"We'll definitely learn something by going to Swili." Carly says; I love that optimism in her.

"I think so, too," I say. I put an arm around her shoulders. "It'll be a long drive. You should rest."

"Okay." Carly says, before falling asleep.

We soon make it to Swili.

"Sieg… is this Swili?" Carly asks me.

"Yeah, should be…" I say. This is strange… It looks less like a village and more like a small settlement. There are old houses scattered around.

"This is where Ulrich was born…?" Carly asks aloud.

I see where Carly's going with this; this is sort of an unexpected place for my father's aide to have been born...

"Sieg, it's probably best for you to stay hidden," Carly says to me. "I'll go check things out first."

"Who are you?" Someone asks, and we turn around to see a little boy with silver hair. "Where did you come from?"

"Um…" Carly says, unsure of how to answer.

The child smiles at Carly innocently; someone else says, "Hey, what's going on? Is someone there?"

"Grandpa, it's a visitor." Someone says, and then we turn to see an older man with silver hair.

He approaches us and his eyes flash a bit.

"Are you… Prince Sieg…?" He asks us.

Crap, busted already… I'm afraid of something bad to happen, but...

"Well, it's the highest honor for us to welcome a prince out here," He says to us; that was unexpected. "What could possible bring a noble person such as yourself… to a place like this?"

This was really unexpected...

"We came… to ask about Ulrich." I begin, a bit awkwardly.

"Ulrich…?" The man says, his eyes opening up a bit.

We then beckons us inside his house and then he introduces himself.

"My name is Uwe. I'm as close as Ulrich has to a father," He says, being polite as always. "I had no idea had become the King's aide. We don't have a television here, so news is slow to reach us."

Explains why he was really polite to us...

"Ulrich is using his position to plan something. Something that could turn this kingdom upside down… We came here to investigate this conspiracy." I say to Uwe.

Uwe looks shocked, but then he heaves a deep sigh.

"I see, so that what Ulrich is doing…" Uwe says. "But… I can see why. That boy hates the royal family."

"Isn't the same true for your whole family?" I ask him.

"No, not at all! Only Ulrich." Uwe explains.

"But wasn't the Bosch family exiled here by the Lieben family?" Carly asks.

"That's true, and my ancestors hated them for it," Uwe explains. "But it was those very ancestors who caused the dispute in the first place that led to their expulsion. We understand that. We don't hold the Lieben family any grudges anymore, so we just go about our daily lives, trying to make a living."

"So why does _Ulrich_ still hate the royal family?" I ask Uwe.

"I think he has a superiority complex," Uwe explains. "He can't stand the fact that he's more talented and comes from a noble lineage, and yet is forced to live a live below ordinary. Especially since King Joshua came to power."

Grandpa?

"His kingdom has been peaceful and prosperous, and yet our family continues to live in poverty." Uwe says to us.

Carly hesitates to answer and I know how she feels.

"And he also wasn't pleased that the King welcomed and ordinary woman into the royal family. I heard him complain about how he was of noble blood, yet so far from the royal family. When he was young, the knowledge that he was a descendant of nobility, was always at the forefront of his mind." Uwe continues.

That makes perfect sense; he's trying to possibly take back what he thinks is his…

I face Uwe and say, "Could you tell us what Ulrich might be thinking now that he's the King's aide? I heard that what he's planning is… 'destruction'."

"Destruction…?" Uwe says. "He used to say that idiots were running the country and that he'd show them how it's done. And that when he did, it would be something public and dramatic."

"Public and dramatic…?" I ask, in repetition…

"Sieg…!" Carly says, looking back to me.

I know what she's thinking, and I'm thinking the same thing: the commemoration ceremony is the place to do such a thing!~

"Yeah. Tomorrow's commemoration ceremony is the perfect stage for him."

"And that's why he wanted you to stay in Nobel Michel…" Carly says.

"Carly, let's get back to town." I say to her.

"Right!" Carly says with a nod. "Uwe, thank you so much for speaking with us."

"Wait!" Uwe says.

"What's the matter?" I ask him.

"Ulrich was always a good boy," Uwe says, gazing out the window. "He lost his parents early… and he despised this sorry existence. It left a dark stain upon him."

"Is that supposed to be an excuse for what he's doing?" I ask, upset; ruining a country is inexcusable no matter what.

"No, of course not. It's just… Prince Sieg, you have to stop him. Please…" Uwe says.

I understand what he's saying, and Carly and I leave for town.

"Huh? You're leaving already?" The small boy from earlier asked.

"Y-Yeah, we are." Carly says.

"Come back again and we'll play together." He says to us, and I can't help but smile.

It's nice to see that in spite of this sort of living situation, he's happy.

"Okay." Carly says.

In the car, I'm thinking up an idea to stop Ulrich before the ceremony tomorrow; I was also trying to absorb the information I had learned today. Carly takes my hand into hers.

I look at her and squeeze her hand back.

My cell phone starts ringing, and I pick it up; it's Hans, so I pick up.

"Hello? Oh, Hans," I say. "I see. Understood. Okay, see you."

"What did Hans say?" Carly asks me.

"There's something he can't talk about over the phone. He's going to tell us in person." I say.

"Really?" Carly asks, quite surprised.

"Maybe something's happened at the castle." I say.

Back at our hideout, Hans meets up with us.

"Sieg! Miss Carly!" Hans says, rushing in. "Sieg, you've lost weight…"

He's about to cry...

"So what have you found out, Hans?" I as him.

"Yes, Ulrich has made a move." Hans says.

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"I spotted him slipping out of the castle in the middle of the night. I followed him. He was talking with a dangerous looking guy." Hans says to us.

"Did you hear that they were saying?" I ask him.

"Yes. 'The preparations are complete'…" Hans says. "But I couldn't get close enough to hear the details…"

"No, you did well," I say to him. "The preparations are complete…?"

"Sieg, does that mean…" Carly begins.

"Yeah, it must be tomorrow…" I say to her.

"Do you think he's going to try something at tomorrow's commemoration ceremony?" Hans asked.

"More than likely." I say to Hans.

"Actually, there's a rumor at the castle that tomorrow's ceremony… Ulrich's appointment as the next Chief Cabinet Secretary will be announced. If that goes ahead then Ulrich will gain even more political power." Hans informs me.

NO JOKE! That's almost as much power as me or the King! This won't do! Not if I have to say anything.

"Chief Cabinet Secretary… We have to stop him, no matter what…" I say, before looking off into the distance, brooding.

That night, I'm up late at night, with Carly still sleeping. I prepare myself to do something that I bought I'd never have to do: break into the castle. How ironic...

I'm moving about the room, but I see that Carly had woken up; she says, "Sieg?"

"Sorry for waking you." I say to Carly.

"What's going on?" She asks.

"I'm going out. You stay here and sleep." I say to Carly.

"Going out… in the middle of the night? Where?" Carly asks.

"To the castle," I say bluntly. "I'll sneak in before it gets light."

"What?!" Carly says to me, quite surprised.

"You stay here." I say to Carly.

"Why this time? I'll go with you." Carly says to me.

"This is trespassing. If you were caught, you'd be imprisoned. I can't drag you any further into this." I say to her.

"But…" Carly begins to protest.

I know Carly wants to stay by my side, but I don't want her to become a convict. I want her to follow her dreams of owning her own pastry shop.

"I have to stop Ulrich's plan even if it means I have to break the law," I explain to her. "But I don't want you to become a criminal. That's why I want you to trust me and wait here."

I give her a heartbreaking look and then say, "If I'm captured, Hans will come get you. Don't worry. Then you can go back to Nobel MIchel and work at that cake store. And fulfill your dream of someday owning your own store."

"No…" She says. "No, I can't do that!"

She stands up, and looks at me stubbornly; what is she thinking.

"I believe in you… but… I can't just leave you and wait here by myself." Carly insists.

"Please understand, Carly." I say to her.

"You're the one who doesn't understand!" Carly shoots at me. "I want to stay close to you and help you. I don't want to just be protected…"

I look at her in surprise, my eyes wide.

"Let me come with you." Carly says to me, her eyes earnest.

"Carly…" I begin… I can't win when she talks like that… She looks like she's about to cry. "I'm no match for you."

I kiss her on the forehead and she blushes in response.

"What's with that reaction? Disappointed?" I ask her. "Did you want me to kiss you elsewhere?"

Carly refuses to say anything, but I just say, "Just kidding. Say something."

"Sorry…" She says to me.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't do anything until this whole thing was sorted out?" She asks me.

"Yeah, I did," I say to her. I stroke her cheek softly, with a tender gaze. "I'm so happy I met you."

"Sieg…" Carly says, with a smile.

"Well, I suppose you've made up your mind." I say.

"I have." Carly says, with a nod.

We leave the house and we slip out into the darkness… We try to run to the castle undetected, and so far, we're good.

"Carly, this way." I say to her.

"Okay." Carly says.

We're running through the nighttime streets, planning on infiltrating the castle.

The castle looms out of the darkness in front of us and I narrow my eyes in determination.

We make it to the gates, and I say, "We'll go around the back."

I lead Carly around to a wall with a rope ladder. Hans is on the other side, waiting for us. I frown up at it, and Carly asks me, "Shall I go first?"

"Why?" I ask her.

"You looked worried." Carly says to me.

"That's not it. It's just…" I begin; how do I explain that I feel really strange about breaking in to my own house. "No, it's nothing."

Carly looks at me in confusion, and I tell her, "You go first. I'll be behind you in case you get into trouble."

"Okay…" Carly says, we both start to climb the ladder step by step.

Hans is waving at us from the other side of the wall.

"Miss Carly, jump!" Hans says. "I'll catch you."

Jump?! Is he kidding?!

"Huh… from here?!" Carly asks; I'm worried, too...

"Miss Carly, someone's going to come if you don't hurry." Hans says.

"Argh… Geronimo!" Carly says, before jumping and landing on Hans.

"Urgh…" Hans says.

"H-Hans, are you okay?!" Carly asks him.

I get down from the ladder, too, and wrap the rope ladder around my arm; don't want people to figure things out.

"Yes, I'm alright. Are you?" Hans asks Carly.

"I'm fine, since you broke my fall." Carly says to Hans.

"So it seems." Hans says, with a smile.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I ask, as I grab her shoulders and pull Carly up.

"What do you mean? Hans caught me…" Carly says to me, thinking nothing was wrong.

"I know that but get off him! And you, Hans!" I say to both go them.

"I-I'm sorry!" Hans says, and I'm about to blow my top.

"Sieg, this really isn't the time…" Carly begins, but then the light of a flashlight points our way.

"Hey, who's there?!" A guard shouts.

"I-It's me. Hans!" Hans says, showing himself to the guard, covering for me and Carly while we make a break for it.

"Oh, Hans? But what are you doing out here?" The guard asks.

"I was asked to patrol too. Nothing out of the ordinary here." Hans says.

"So they even have you doing the rounds now too. Things are tough for us with the ceremony coming up." The guard says to us.

"Yeah… shall we check over there?" Hans asks, directing the guard in another direction.

"Phew… Hans saved us." Carly says, as she and I duck into the forest.

"Yeah, the guard is heavier than I expected." I say to her.

We look through the bushes and see tons of flashlights cutting through the darkness.

"Let's stay here for a bit," I say. "It's best to wait for Hans' signal."

"Right." Carly says in agreement.

We hear rustling in the bushes and we stiffen up. I'm on guard when...

"Meow" We hear a cat, and a tiny, white kitten creeps out of the bush.

"Oh… it's a cat. It scared me! Sieg…" Carly begins, but I'm already making distance and hiding behind her.

"Sieg, I was wondering this before, but… are you afraid of cats?" Carly asks me. I don't answer. "But they're so cute…"

She begins to pet the cat, and I see the kitten closes its eyes blissfully.

"What's cute about it?" I ask her, a bit scared. "Cats are nasty! They act nice and then turn on you."

"Why would you…?" Carly asks me.

"That's what my grandfather taught me." I explain to her.

"King Joshua?" Carly asks me.

"Yeah. My grandmother liked cats. There was one in the gardens she tried to make me pet. But as soon as I got close, it went for me." I tell her.

"Eek… not a good memory…" Carly says, with a shiver.

"That's what made me realize my grandfather was right." I say to Carly.

She starts to giggle.

"D-Don't laugh." I say with a blush.

Changing the subject, Carly asks me, "Did you play in this garden when you were a child?"

"Yeah, since I couldn't freely leave the castle grounds." I say.

"I see…" Carly says to me.

"When I didn't feel like studying, I'd hide myself in these bushes and play with my toys." I say to Carly.

"Hehe… so you skipped classes too." She says to me.

"Usually I was a studious kid, but yeah, sometimes," I say to Carly, with a chuckle. "When I played hide and seek… I was sometimes scolded for falling asleep where I was hiding."

"You must have a lot of memories of this garden." Carly says.

"Yeah… I never thought I'd end up hiding here under these kind of circumstances…" I say. "It's laughable… until recently this was my castle…"

I look up at the sky with a sad smile… But I feel so much better with Carly here at my side.

Carly holds me hand, and I say to her, "I can imagine what you're thinking right now."

"Uh…" She says.

"That sometimes I should just let you comfort me." I say; I come closer, and lean against her shoulder.

"Sieg…" Carly says to me.

"Mind if I stay like this for a bit?" I ask her; she just makes me feel so happy.

"S-Sure…" Carly says to me.

"You're so warm…" I say to her.

"You are too…" Carly says to me.

"Sieg, Miss Carly…" Hans says, and then the moment is killed; he has a paper bag in hand.

"Oh!" Carly says, pulling away from me.

"E-Excuse me." Hans says, going red in the face.

"No, it's okay," I say. "What's with the bag?"

"I'm sorry, but would you mind changing into the stage uniform?" Hans asks us. "It'll be easier to get into the castle that way."

"Alright. Carly, you too." I say to Carly.

"Fine, but…" Carly begins, but she picks up the maid's uniform and looks a little conflicted.

"What? You never seen a maid's uniform before?" I ask her.

"No, it's not that…" Carly says.

"Hurry up. Put it on and show me." I say to her.

"Huh?" Carly asks, a little confused.

"It'll be much sexier than your pastry chef outfit." I say to her.

"Now's not the time for that, Sieg." Carly says.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood." I say; partially true...

"Miss Carly, hurry before someone comes!" Hans says.

"R-Right… I'l change over there!" Carly says, before running behind a tree.

I overhear Ulrich talking to someone and I manage to pick up some of the conversation and I soon hear Ulrich say something about checking the bushes. Crap!

I then step in and say, "Hey, over here."

"Well well, it's Prince Sieg. Although, it's just Sieg now, isn't it?" Ulrich says to me. "I didn't expect to see you here… What business could you have here, after being expelled from the royal family? Skulking around in the bushes… Benno, check the bushes, there might be another one in there. A girl."

Oh, no, he'll find Carly unless I do something.

"Yes sir." Benno says, and then he heads over to our position.

I then cut in.

"Ulrich, don't you also understand the pain of being exiled by the royal family? I came here today to talk to you about that, man to man." I say to distract them.

His eyes glint sharply and then he says, "Benno, seize this man!"

Benno tries to grab my arm, but I dodge it; I glance in Carly's direction before running off into the woods.

"After him! Don't let him get away!" Ulrich shouts.

"Yes sir." Benno says, before going after me.

I trust Hans with Carly, so I'm not worried a bit about her. I manage to outmaneuver Benno for a little bit; it takes a lot of dodging and hiding, but I manage to find a place to corner Benno.

"I've got you now!" Benno shouts, as he comes at me. I jump and dodge his charge and then I manage to find a rope and tie him up.

"I think you're mistaken," I say. "Now… You're going to talk and you're going to talk good!"

He looks at me in fear and I start to interrogate him… I learn something shocking...

* * *

><p>The next morning, the commemoration ceremony starts up. I decide to time my entrance perfectly; I have Benno's hands bound with rope and I'll be leading him like a dog.<p>

I start looking at my father who is starting to make his speech.

"I am vey happy to be celebrating the commemoration of the founding of our beloved DresVan together with all of you. You all contribute to our country's prosperity. My one wish is that we can continue this era of peace forever. But I can't make that a reality with just a wish. I must meet the expectations of my citizens. So I have decided to place someone that can accomplish this to the center of politics," My father says. "I wanted to take this opportunity to announce to you my appointment of Ulrich as the next Chief Cabinet Secretary."

Ulrich appears on the stage and there is cheering, applause, and quite a commotion. No, not now… I see Carly and Hans in the crowd, but while I know they're probably worried about me, I have yet to let her down.

"It is a great honor for me to receive this prestigious position. In taking on this job, I promise to strive towards greater prosperity, and improvements in the lives of all citizens," Ulrich begins. That lying varmint… "Please trust in me, and let me your power!"

Everyone begins applauding and it grows louder. NOW!

I start walking to the stage and I hear people shouting as they see me.

"It's Prince Sieg!" "Prince Sieg's here!"

"Sieg!" Carly shouts, delighted to see me.

I lead Benno.

"Prince… Sieg." Ulrich begins, as he sees me, and starts glaring.

"Ladies and gentleman, I'm very sorry to disturb this holy commemoration ceremony, but there is an accusation I have to make," I begin, before gesturing to Benno. "This man tried to perpetrate a terrorist act towards the King. On _Ulrich's_ orders!"

The crowd erupts at this, and then Ulrich speaks.

"And on what proof are you basing this accusation?" Ulrich asks.

"Benno here confessed everything! That he was ordered by Ulrich to open fire on the ceremony. And that he received this from you," I say, raising up a paper bag, and out dropped a gun; an unloaded gun for safety reasons.

Ulrich flinches before saying, "T-This is a false accusation! The prince is crazy!"

Stammering: a sign of lying.

Everyone starts to look at him in confusion. Just what I wanted.

"The King has already been mentally assaulted by Ulrich," I begin. "He would be able to inflict lethal psychological damage on the King by convincing him it was an act of terror! And after becoming Chief Cabinet Secretary… he'd have all the necessary tools to bend the kingdom to his well in his grasp!"

Everyone starts accusing Ulrich loudly, and this is just what I was looking for.

"Please believe me… I wouldn't…" Ulrich begins, but he starts to panic and lose his composure.

The soldiers start to move in on Ulrich.

"Arghhhhhh!" He shouts before grabbing a sword from one of the guards, before pointing it at me. "Does House Lieben mean to thwart the ambitions of House Bosch yet again?!"

The soldiers draw their swords, but I made a gesture that told them to stand down.

"Ulrich… if I win this duel, then you _will_ admit everything and let the King wake up. Is that clear?" I demand, taking up a sword.

"Hahaha… that's an interesting idea." Ulrich begins.

We face one another and cross our blades. The tension in the hall heightens as Ulrich and I sword fight together. One minute, Ulrich is overpowering me, the next, I'm pushing back.

"I've finally climbed this far, and now you… How can you understand my pain?" Ulrich shouts to me. "You, who were born a prince and grew up without ever experiencing discomfort…"

Not _completely_ true… But I get what he's saying.

"Even if that's the case, what will destroying this country achieve?! Your family back in Swili doesn't want this!" I tell him; hopefully that will get him to snap out of it.

"Shut up!" Ulrich shouts.

He thrusts his sword at me and it grazes my thigh; that hurt...

"Ugh!" I grunt.

"Prepare to die, Prince Sieg!" Ulrich says; he springs at me, and I've lost my balance, but I deflect him with my sword. It flies out of his hand and lands on the stage, quivering.

I hold my sword towards Ulrich's throat, and then I say, "You lose…"

"Ugh." Ulrich says, admitting defeat.

Everyone starts cheering; I look and see Carly choked up, crying tears of joy.

Back inside the castle...

"Sieg!" Carly shouts, as she comes over to me.

"Carly…" I say to her.

"Is your leg okay?" She asks me.

"Yeah, this is nothing." I say to her.

"Thank goodness…" Carly says breathing a sigh of relief to me.

"Sorry for making you worry," I say to her. "Were you okay?"

"Yes. Hans hid me in the castle." Carly explains.

Good ol' Hans. He's always someone I can count on.

"I thought my heart would stop," Carly says to me. "I lost sight of you, and then when it seemed like Ulrich had you… I don't what I'd do if I lost you…"

She looks down, but then I lift her chin up and ask her, "Are you crying?"

"Yes, but…" Carly begins, but I wipe a tear away with my finger.

"These tears are for me? Are you that smitten?" I ask her; I really hope she says 'yes'.

"Wha… this isn't the time for joking around! I was worried sick!" Carly says.

"You're right… Thank you." I say to Carly.

Finally, I can kiss her. I bring my face closer to Carly's, put my hand on her cheek, and I'm about to pucker up and kiss her on the lips, just like I've wanted to do for so long...

"Hey, cut it out." I hear someone whisper from behind us.

"It's fine, they're just getting to the best part!" Another voice said.

"That's why I said cut it out." The first voice said.

I know those voices anywhere...

I take my hands away and I turn behind us before saying, "Hey, you guys."

"Oh, are we busted?" Oliver asks, as he and Hayden come out from the shadow of a pillar.

"I told you…" Hayden says.

"You two… were watching us just now…" Carly says, going red.

"You guys are toooo cute! I didn't know who the ceremony was gonna pan out." Oliver says.

"You were at the ceremony?" I ask them; I didn't notice them, if they were.

"We slipped into the hall with the general citizens." Hayden explained.

"We were on standby in case anything happened to you…" Oliver began. "And we could gallantly reveal ourselves and save the day."

"It sounds stupid when you say it." Hayden says to Oliver; I have to agree with him.

"But then you went and beat him splendidly yourself!" Oliver says to me. "We weren't needed, so we thought we'd check in on your and then head home."

"So you decided to find the _best_ possible time to interrupt?" I ask them; they had to kill the moment. I was about to kiss my sweetheart, too...

However, I smile in relief, and say, "Sorry for making you guys worry about me."

"Are you okay where he stabbed you?" Hayden asks me.

"Yeah, it's nothing serious." I say to him.

"Well, thanks goodness of that!" Oliver says. "And Carly's fine too! Once you're better, we'll throw a party for you."

"Yeah," Hayden says in agreement. "There's still a lot of you for you to do before that, though."

I know what Hayden is talking about; we see Ulrich being taken away by the guards.

"Yeah… that's okay. It'll be over soon." I say.

We have an emergency meeting in the meeting room where there are aristocrats and politicians everywhere. Carly, Hans, and I are also in attendance because we were involved in unearthing Ulrich's plot.

"I can't believe the King was being controlled like that…" "It's an unprecedented scandal!" "But we have to take responsibility too…" "Ulrich and the Bosch family must be punished severely!"

Ulrich is in the corner of the room with soldiers guarding him.

"Everyone, please calm down," I say, calling for calm. "It is unfortunate that this situation came to be, but we can't just sit here and moan about it. If we all work together in this time of trouble, we can overcome it."

"We know that, Sieg. But what exactly should we do?" A politician asks me.

"I ask that you leave it to me to put things right." I say to the group.

"Leave it to you?" He asks me.

"Yes. Right now, the King's mental state is fragile," I begin. "I want to take responsibility as prince to resolve this situation."

"How do you intend to punish Ulrich?" An aristocrat asks me. "Of course he all be punished, but shouldn't his family also be banished? We need to ensure that nothing like this happens again."

"Ulrich will be suitably punished, but his family will be exempt," I begin. "I would prefer to support them."

"What?" An Aristocrat asks.

"This all came to be because the Bosch family lives in squalor," I say. "I went to see where they live, and it's a hard existence. They live in isolation… only because of their ancestors' past crimes. It was bad enough to produce someone like Ulrich. It's time for them to live a life like the rest of our citizens." I began.

"I don't need pity! Especially not from you…" Ulrich shouts.

"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for the Bosch children," I begin. "Ulrich, think about what you've done, and make amends for your crime. Do it for your family back in Swili."

A tear rolls down Ulrich's cheek in response, before saying, "I've hated the royal family ever since I was a child… And I risked everything to crush them."

"Next time, use that misguided passion for the right cause." I say to him.

Ulrich's shoulders slump in defeat.

* * *

><p>We go back to the King's chambers to check on my father.<p>

"Sieg…" The King says to me.

"How are you feeling, Your Highness…?" I ask him.

"I'm fine. Come closer," My father says to me, and I come closer. "I was brainwashed by Ulrich… I remember saying horrible things to both of you. At the time, I though it was the right thing. I'm sorry…"

"Your Highness…" Carly says.

"I wanted to become a great King, surpassing my predecessors," The King says. "But there were things that weren't going well, and I grew impatient. That's when Ulrich took advantage of me."

"Your Highness, it will take time for you to return to your usual self," I begin. "For now, please keep calm and don't think too much about it."

The King takes my hand and tells me, "Sieg, until I return… I leave the kingdom in your hands."

"Are you sure…?" I ask him.

"You did a great thing for this country," My father says to me. "You exposed Ulrich's plan and set the nation back on the right path… If it weren't for you, I'd have committed a grave mistake. Thanks to you, DresVan is safe. Thank you."

He lays his other hand on my head and he tells me, "Sieg… you've really grown into a strong young man."

"Your Highness…" I say; I can't take all the credit. "I was able to become strong thanks to Carly. If not for her, I couldn't have changed. I probably would've given up, thinking that I was no more than my title. The fact that she acknowledged me not as a prince, but as a person gave me the courage."

"Is that so…" He says to me, then turns to Carly. "Thank you, Carly."

"I didn't… all I did was stay at Sieg's side…" Carly says, being modest as always.

"Your Highness, for now now, I want to be with Carly. I want to stay by her side, and protect her…" I begin. "Eventually, I would like to welcome her into this country… Will you accept that?"

"Sieg…" The King begins. "Yes, of course! Protect this country, together with her. You can achieve the things that I could not. You will lead this country on to even greater things."

He takes Carly's hand, and mine, and puts them together, as if giving us his blessing.

"Thank you." I say to my father.

"Carly." The king says to Carly.

"Yes?" Carly asks.

"Please continue to support Sieg." The King says to Carly.

Later on the balcony, Carly and I are standing on it together, and I have an idea, and I know that now is the time to do what I've wanted to do for so long… pop the question.

"There's a nice breeze…" Carly says.

"Yeah." I say to her.

"I can't believe we're here like this…" Carly says to me. "When just yesterday, we were hiding in the bushes."

"Haha, yeah." I say in reply.

I smile happily and I put an arm around her shoulders.

"Can I tell you again, what I said earlier?" I asked her.

"Huh…?" Carly asks me.

"What I said in front f the King, but I also want to say it right this time." I say to Carly.

"What you said to the King…?" Carly asks; I think she understands what I'm saying.

I look earnestly into her eyes, and my face relaxes before stifling a laugh.

"Your face is so tense." I say to her.

I grin at her, but she turns her face away from me, but I bring my face closer to look into hers.

"D-Don't get so close…!" Carly says, a bit surprised.

"Then face me." I say to her.

"Geez, you find me way too amusing!" Carly retorts.

"I can't help it," I say to her. "It's because you're cute."

I then kiss her on her lips; this was something I wanted to do forever. I pull away, and say, "It's okay to do this now that everything's over, right?"

Carly refuses to answer me, and I watch her blush.

"Are you so pleased you've lost your tongue?" I ask her, teasingly.

"T-That was a surprise." Carly says to me.

"Well… this time, prepare yourself." I say to Carly.

I slowly bring my lips to hers once again. This time, I make it last longer, and more passionate.

"Mm…" Carly says, kissing me back.

"Carly…" I say to her, reluctantly pulling away; she opens her eyes. I look at her lovingly. "I want to continue enjoying this, but… There's somewhere I nee to take you."

"Where?" She asks me.

I take her hand and begin to walk off; I tell her, "We're going out. There's somewhere I need to take you."

I take her to the car, and while she's in the passenger's seat, I take the drivers' seat.

"You're driving us yourself?" Carly asks.

"What? Did you think I didn't know how?" I asked her; well, that honestly wouldn't be _that_ unexpected.

"No, not that," Carly says. "It's just that you normally leave it to Hans or a driver."

"I don't want to impose on anyone tonight." I say; I can't exactly pop the question to her when we're not alone.

"You won't tell me where we're going?" Carly asks me.

"Nope, it's a surprise." I say to her.

We soon make it to a woodsy area; I recognize this part of the kingdom grounds because it isn't the first time I've been here.

"Here?" Carly asks; doesn't look like she's impressed.

"Yeah," I say to her. "Give me your hand. We're gonna walk for a bit."

I take Carly's hand and I lead her into the forest. After what seemed like five or ten minutes, I ask Carly, "Are you doing okay?"

"Yea. Are we nearly there?" Carly asks me.

We're soon at the summit and I ask Carly, "Sit down there."

"Okay…" Carly says, before sitting down next to me.

"You cold?" I ask her.

"Nah, I'm good." Carly says, but I take her into my arms. She closes her eyes, and that's what I'm looking for. I'm hoping to show her the dawn.

I see the sun about to peek out from the mountain top; I tap her on the back and say, "Hey, it's time."

"It's beautiful…" Carly says, her eyes widening.

"Diamonds…" I say.

"Huh?" Carly asks.

"This is scene is transient, something no one can grasp in their hand," I explain to Carly. "People say it's like diamonds. My grandparents showed me this place when I was a child. They said I should come here when I found that special someone… If you do this..."

I take her left hand and I hold it up so the sun balances on her fingers.

"It looks like a diamond ring." I say to her.

"It really does…" Carly says in reply.

"I wanted to show you this…" I say, before pulling her hand towards me and kissing her ring finger. "I know that I want to walk forward with you from no and forever. I want to welcome you… to DresVan."

Carly is looking at me and she nearly gasps; I then ask her, "Carly… will you marry me?"

"…" Carly hesitates, but then she says what I've wanted to hear, "Yes. I want to be by your side forever too."

I feel so relieved about this that I pull her into a tight embrace, and nearly squeeze the breath out of her. I was so afraid that she'd say 'no'...

"Sieg? What is it?" Carly asks me.

"Nothing…" I lie to her.

"Hehe." Carly says to me.

"What's so funny?" I ask her.

"Nothing…" Carly says to me.

She looks at me, but I avert my eyes in embarrassment; I see her smiling, and I say, "Don't grin like that."

"It's because I'm happy." Carly says to me.

"You…" I begin. I run my hands through her hair and then catch her lips in a kiss.

"S-Sieg…" Carly says.

"It's your fault for provoking me." I say.

"I wasn't provoking you…" Carly protests.

"Thinking I'm cute counts as provoking me." I say to her.

"Wha…!" Carly says in confusion.

"Pfft," I begin to laugh and pat her on the head before squinting at the sun. "There's one other thing my grandfather taught me about this place."

"What was that?" Carly asks me.

"If two people climb up here and watch the sun rise together, they'll have eternal bliss. And no matter what troubles befall them, they'll be a strong enough couple to overcome it… That's why I wanted to ask you here." I say to Carly.

"Sieg… Thank you." Carly says; I pull her close and we entwines our fingers.

We start watching the sun rise together.

A week later, I decide to announce my engagement to Carly; I'm in my usual uniform for my duties while Carly is in a dressing at DresVan Manor.

I soon make it to the door and I see Hans break down in tears, and I say, "Hey, who said you et to see Carly in her dress before me?"

"Sieg!" Carly says.

She's in a pink ballroom gown with her hair in a bun.

"I-I'm sorry! I thought I was supposed to bring Carly to you…" Hans says.

'You were, but then I decided I'd take her myself." I say, before gazing at Carly in her dress.

"W-What do you think…?" Carly asks me.

"Well, considering I chose it… There's no way it wouldn't suit you. The size is perfect, too." I say to her.

"S-Sieg…" Hans says.

"Come on, don't tease me when I'm so nervous!" Carly says.

"Haha, you can't be that nervous if you're still assertive," I say to Carly. "It suits you."

"Uh…" Carly says, blushing; I take her hand and grasp it tightly.

"Let's get going." I say to her.

"Okay." Carly says, and then I bring her into the hall; it's crammed to bursting with reporters.

We climb the stands, our hands intertwined, and there are cameras flashing everywhere.

"That girl is…!" "The one from the scandal…?"

There are agitated shouts as well as cheers for me, but I ignore it.

"Just smile." I say to Carly.

"Okay…" Carly says, a little nervous.

I face the audience and then say to the crowd, "The recent events threatened the existence of this royal family. But in resolving the situation I have gained a strength and self-awareness as the successor to the throne."

Everyone's eyes are drawn to me.

"And it was also due to my meeting a certain person and their support. I have gathered you here today to introduce her to you… This is Carly," I say, before taking her hand and pulling her close to me. "She is the most important woman in the world to me. Her light and her strength have changed me. From now on, we will lead this country together. We will be getting married."

There's silence in the hall in the beginning, but then people started to clap, one by one before applause and cheers spread throughout the hall.

Carly looks up at me while holding back tears; I smile back at her, flashing my teeth.

"Carly! Look this way!" "Tell us about your intentions as the prince's partner!" "Are you happy?"

"Yes, very happy," Carly says to the reporter. "From now on… I want to continue to support Prince Sieg."

That night, we're having a party in place of the commemoration ceremony; Ulrich's plan was stopped cold so the ceremony was canceled.

"Give me your hand." I say to Carly.

Everyone has their eyes focused on us as we begin to dance together.

"I never thought I'd be dancing with you like this again." I confess to Carly.

"Back then, I never even dreamed that we'd end up together." Carly says to me.

"And yet, I knew that I'd make you mine." I admit to Carly.

"Say what?" Carly asks.

"Once I know what I want, there's no way I'm gonna back down." I tell Carly.

"That's a lot of confidence…" Carly says to me in reply.

"Well, I'm a prince, aren't I?" I say to Carly.

"Since when?" She asks me. "When did you realize that you…"

"Since the first time I met you…" I say.

"The first time… Oh, when you gave me a lift in your car?" Carly asks me.

"Yeah." I say to her.

"But that time you looked at me and laughed, remember?" Carly asks me.

"Cause you were making a funny face." I say to her.

"Ugh…" Carly says in reply.

"But you were honest and earnest… I wanted to get to know you more," I admit to her. "Now that I think about it, I've been attracted to you ever since then…"

I guess love at first sight can be real.

"Choosing you as a potential bride, the marriage interview… It's why I did all that," I admit to Carly. "But as for you… you probably thought I was a jerk."

"I'm sorry… but I didn't only say mean things, right?" Carly asks me.

"It was another way of expressing love. At least acknowledge that." I tell Carly.

She laughs at this, and I say, "Well, whatever… it was a roundabout way of doing it. And now you're here in my arms."

I wrap an arm around her waist and lift her chin with my other hand, before telling her, "From the beginning, you were always going to be my princess."

"Sieg…" Carly says to me.

"I won't leave you, no matter what. Are you prepared for that?" I ask her.

"Hehe… I won't leave you either." Carly says to me.

The dance ends and we're smiling at each other; we hear someone behind us, and we turn around to see the other five princes.

"I was soooo moved at that press conference!" Oliver said.

"I can't believe you're actually welcoming an ordinary girl into your country…" Ivan says.

"I'm glad your both happy." Kuon says.

"Seriously, congratulations." Aslan says to us.

"Thanks, and sorry for all the worry and trouble I caused you guys…" I say.

"Don't worry about it. We're just glad that DresVan's safe," Hayden says. "It all worked out, and for Carly, too."

"Thank you." Carly says, with a blush.

"Hey, we were thinking about holding a celebratory party for the two of you… How about after this?" Oliver asks us.

"A celebratory party…? I'll have to pass tonight," I say to Oliver. "I want to spend some quality time with my princess."

"S-Sieg…" Carly says, blushing.

My friends' eyes widen, but Kuon speaks up and says, "Well, that was blunt."

"Do what you like." Ivan says.

"At least, let's have a toast here." Oliver says.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, guys…" I say to my friends. "I'm really grateful."

"To your future together…" Hayden says.

"Cheers!" We all say, before clinking our glasses of champagne together.

Later that night, I bring Carly to my bedroom, and she seems anxious; she's looking around the room.

"Um… mind if I get changed?" Carly asks.

"What, you wanna get undressed already?" I ask her.

"Not _undressed_, just changing into more comfortable clothes." Carly explains.

"No." I say with a smirk.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Carly asks me.

I give her a mischievous smile, and then put my arms around her waist.

"S-Sieg…?!" Carly asks me.

"Do you know why men give clothes to women as presents?" I ask her.

"T-That's…" Carly says, and her face is completely red.

"Even you seem to know that much." I say to her.

I rub circles on her back.

"H-Hold it…" Carly says.

"What are we waiting for? You love me, right?" I ask her.

"I…" Carly begins, a bit freaked out. "But I'm not ready…"

"Not ready? It's a bit late now." I say, and Carly looks down to hide her red face.

I hug her tightly to me, and I whisper in her ear, "I love you… There's no one else for me but you. I only want you, for the rest of my life. I love you, Carly…"

"Is that enough for you?" I ask her. She nods hesitantly. "Your turn next."

"Eh?" Carly asks me.

"You haven't said you love me, yet, have you?" I ask her.

"Oh… U-Um…" Carly says.

I give her an earnest gaze and then say, "You've got three seconds."

"Pardon?" Carly asks.

"If you don't say it, I'll have to punish you." I tell her.

"Huh?" Carly asks me.

"Three, two…" I start.

"U-Um…" Carly begins, a little freaked out.

"One…" I say, before kissing her. We soon pull apart, and I give her a mischievous smile.

"G-Geez… you didn't even give me a chance! Carly complains.

"Because you weren't fast enough." I say to her.

"That was your fault…" She complains.

I smile in amusement, and then I kiss her neck, but I think it might be tickling her because it's causing her to squirm. I drop kisses everywhere on her skin.

"Sieg…" Carly says.

"I can't wait any longer." I say.

"Your leg's hurt…" Carly points out.

"I can still do what needs to be done." I say to Carly.

"Meaning?" Carly asks me.

I push her on the bed so I'm the only one thing she can see.

"Do you know how hard it's been to hold back?" I ask her, but I get nothing. ""Because you're so precious to me… Tonight, I want all of you."

I stroke her hair and she presses her lips to mine. She clings to my chest, and I say, "Cute…"

"Embarrassing…" Carly says in reply.

She tries to hide her face with her hands, but I grab her wrists and kiss her all over.

"Carly… I love you…" I say to her.

"I love you too…" Carly says to me...

The next morning, she wakes up, and says, "Phew… I slept well."

I hug Carly from behind and Carly asks, "Sieg, you're awake?"

"It's rude to watch someone sleeping." I say to Carly.

"I wasn't staring… I was just…" Carly says.

"Just…?" I ask her; she hesitates. "Were you remembering last night? Pfft…"

I give her a tender smile and I move closer to her, before asking, "Shall we overwrite those memories with some new ones?"

I bring my lips to her throat and she says, "Huh? W-Wait… Sieg!"

We hear a knock at the door, and I hear Hans ask, "Sieg, may I come in?"

"Yeah, go ahead." I say.

"Hold it!" Carly says, before ducking back under the covers.

Hans comes in, and says, "Sieg, today's breakfast… Argh! I'm sorry!"

He goes red in the face, and flustered, he dashed out of the room.

"Sieg!" Carly says.

"It's fine. He's my butler." I say to Carly.

"It's _not _fine!" Carly says.

"Haha, I guess not," I say in response. "I'm the only one who can see you like this, right?"

"Wha…" Carly says, blushing.

I smile and stroke her cheek gently, but then we hear Hans outside.

"*sniff*… Sieg, Miss Carly… Would you care for some breakfast?" Hans asks.

"Is he crying?" I ask.

"Seems like it… he must be getting emotional again…" Carly says.

"Breakfast…" I begin; I think, and then turn back to Carly. "Could you make something for us today?"

"Huh? Me?" Carly asks.

"I want to eat your badly shaped rice balls one more time." I tell her.

We smile at each other while bathed in the glow of the dawn, and we kiss once more.

Well… this isn't the fairytale I was expecting, but I love it anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>That's the end of it! I myself don't like writing about such suggestive stuff, but nothing is explicit, so I'm okay. I'd put in the Good Ending, but I don't think I have the patience for it.<strong>


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